Right-wing commentator Candace Owens has accused Erika Kirk of lying about skipping a Turning Point USA (TPUSA) event in Georgia over security threats, claiming poor ticket sales were the real reason. Owens wrote on X: “You pulled out because of bad ticket sales... Were there actually a viable threat, the Vice President would not have continued the event.” Videos on social media showed vast rows of empty seats at the arena in Athens where the event took place.
Erika Kirk, widow of TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk who was assassinated in September, was set to appear alongside Vice President JD Vance but withdrew after receiving “very serious threats,” according to organisers. Vance still attended. “I was so looking forward to tonight’s event... but after all our family has been through, I take my security team’s recommendations extremely seriously,” Kirk wrote on X.
Vance defended Kirk during the event, criticising those attacking her. “Everybody is attacking her over everything, and they’re lying about her, and it’s one of the most disgraceful things that I’ve ever seen in public life,” he said. He added: “Why don’t you stay in your own lane and mind your business. Grief is complicated.” TPUSA spokesman Andrew Kolvet described the threats as “a terrible reflection on the state of reality and the state of the country.”
The controversy comes amid speculation about the relationship between Vance and Kirk after they shared an affectionate hug in October. Vance’s wife, second lady Usha Vance, dismissed the rumours as a “fever dream” and said the couple consider it a family joke. Erika Kirk described the hug as a benign expression of her “love language.”
Vance’s appearance in Georgia follows a series of controversies, including the ongoing war with Iran, a feud with the pope over the conflict, and his unsuccessful bid to boost Viktor Orban’s re-election campaign in Hungary. During the event, Vance addressed the Vatican clash, saying he respected the pope but suggested the Catholic leader was mistaken.
