Erika Kirk to be Trump’s guest at State of the Union

Erika Kirk, widow of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, will be President Donald Trump’s guest at Tuesday night’s State of the Union.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed Kirk’s attendance as “one of President Trump’s special guests” in a post on X that included the Daily Wire article first reporting the announcement.

During his speech, the president will reportedly affirm that America is “one nation under God” and will call on Congress to “firmly reject political violence against our fellow citizens,” the Daily Wire reported on Tuesday. The Daily Wire said the call comes after years of political violence, including the assassination of Charlie Kirk. Trump is no stranger to this wave of political violence, as he was shot during a campaign rally in Butler, Pa., in July 2024.

Trump administration officials rallied around Erika Kirk after her husband’s assassination in September during a debate event at Utah Valley University. Charlie Kirk’s casket was flown from Utah to his home state of Arizona aboard Air Force Two and Vice President JD Vance escorted the casket as it was carried onto the plane. Later, second lady Usha Vance was seen holding Erika’s hand as they departed Air Force Two.

Several members of the Trump administration, including the president and vice president, took part in a memorial service for Charlie Kirk in Arizona on Sept. 21, 2025, just 11 days after the outspoken conservative icon was killed. During his address at the memorial service, Trump called Charlie Kirk a “martyr for American freedom.”

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A little more than a month after his assassination, Charlie Kirk was posthumously awarded the Medal of Freedom on what would have been his 32nd birthday. Erika Kirk accepted the medal from Trump on behalf of her late husband. She said that in awarding Charlie with the nation’s highest civilian honor, the president had given her late husband “the best birthday gift he could ever have.”

“Charlie always admired your commitment to freedom, and that’s something that both of you shared. So thank you,” Erika Kirk said to Trump during the event. “Your support of our family and the work that Charlie devoted his life to will be something I cherish forever.”

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Erika Kirk also thanked the vice president and second lady, saying that their friendship had been an “unbelievable encouragement.”

Charlie Kirk was 31 when he was killed and left behind his wife and two young children — a son and a daughter.

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