The latest Turning Point event has sparked criticism for Erika Kirk and Vice President J.D. Vance.
While the vice president attended the event in Georgia, Erika was notably absent and later took to social media to cite security concerns as the reason.
Both Erika Kirk and J.D. Vance are now being mocked online over the sparse turnout at the event after videos from the venue went viral.
Erika Kirk And Vice President J.D. Vance Faced Scrutiny Over The Low Turnout
On Tuesday, April 14, Erika Kirk’s Turning Point USA held an event at the Akins Ford Arena in Athens, Georgia, which she was slated to attend.
The mother of two eventually did not show up, leaving Vice President J.D. Vance as the most high-profile figure at the event.
Now, both are being trolled for the empty rows of seats that littered the venue despite Vance’s attendance.
“If you like being lectured to by a sarcastic, pompous ego maniac, Vance is your guy. Looks like people have had enough,” one user wrote, while another remarked, “Who the hell would want to go see Vance?”
“LOLz, this circus show has come to an end. Say goodbye to any possible future for Vance and Kirk,” a third individual noted while a fourth wrote, “should’ve booked the local bingo hall instead.”
One more commented, “Bahahaha! They thought [that] because it was Georgia, it would be packed out! NOPE! We not having it!!”
Erika Kirk Claimed Security Issues Prevented Her From Attending The TPUSA Event
Being the CEO of TPUSA, Erika’s absence at the event didn’t go unnoticed, and she took to social media to address it.
She wrote, “I was so looking forward to tonight’s event at the @universityofga with our Vice President @JDVance, but after all our family has been through, I take my security team’s recommendations extremely seriously.”
The widow added, “Thank you to our amazing Georgia chapter for your support. God bless you all!”
Erika Kirk’s Claims About Security Issues Were Scrutinized By Her Late Husband’s Pal
Interestingly, Erika’s clarification about security issues only drew further scrutiny, with some claiming she was not being truthful about her reason for absence.
Among them was high-profile podcaster Candace Owens, who has heavily criticized the mother of two in recent months.
“Stop. This is exhausting. You pulled out because of bad ticket sales. For the same reason TPFaith had to “reschedule” the Pastor’s Summit and various other events quietly,” Owens said on X.
Her claims were also echoed by several netizens, who, alongside Owens, pointed to Vance’s appearance at the event as supposed proof that Erika may not have been telling the truth.
Vice President J.D. Vance Hit Back At Critics Of Erika Kirk’s Grieving
During the Georgia event, Vance came to Erika’s defense over the criticism she has received regarding the way she has been grieving her late husband, Charlie Kirk.
“This desire to go after her for the way she’s grieving her husband, that’s the most preposterous thing I’ve seen in a long time,” the Vice President said.
“Why don’t you stay in your own lane and mind your business?” he further remarked. “Grief is complicated.”
Erika had previously addressed her grief in October last year, saying that there “is no linear blueprint” for how it should be done.
“They say time heals. But love doesn’t ask to be healed. Love asks to be remembered. It’s humbling to realize that this magnitude of suffering didn’t steal my love for my husband. It amplified it. It crystallized it,” Erika wrote in an Instagram post at the time.
Erika Kirk’s Role As TPUSA CEO Has Come Under More Scrutiny
Since her husband’s death, Erika has been criticized for a number of things, including her new role as CEO of her late husband’s nonprofit.
The criticism has grown in recent weeks after the nonprofit played audio of Charlie announcing his wife as his successor at Amfest.
The audio was slammed as edited, a claim that was strongly pushed by Owens in an episode of her podcast.
The podcaster, alongside several netizens, has requested that a video of the alleged succession event be shared online if TPUSA truly wants to prove its claims.
However, the request has yet to be met by the organization, which claimed through a spokesperson that it did not release a video due to “psychopathic predators” like Owens.