Erika Kirk Accused of Trying to 'Rewrite History' as She Claims She Was by Late Husband Charlie's Side as He Built TPUSA: 'Shame on You'

Erika Kirk is being accused of trying to take credit for helping late husband Charlie Kirk create Turning Point USA.

The backlash came as she spoke at the 2026 Chapter Leadership Summit (CLS) shortly after she attended a preliminary hearing for her spouse's suspected shooter, Tyler Robinson.

"This past week, I have seen something I'm still trying to unpack and put into words, and someone asked me, ‘Do you still want to go to the Chapter Leadership Summit?’... And I thought to myself, ‘You know, if you don't fight for what's right — I would much rather our country look like this room than the inside of that courtroom,’" she spilled.

She also encouraged people to take a step outside their comfort zone, expressing, "Go talk to people, sit with people at lunch you don't normally sit with, be creative with the ways that you are at Chapter Leadership because you are a leader, not a follower."

"My husband built this movement. He built this machine, and I watched him do it," the mother-of-two said elsewhere in her address. "And I stood by his side through every sleepless night, through every moment of concern, through every phone call, through every high, through every low, of the things he could control and the things he couldn't. I was there. I was his confidante."

Her comments rubbed some people the wrong way, as Charlie founded TPUSA in 2012, while he didn't marry Erika until 2021.

"YOU married your husband in 2021, after he had already built @TPUSA, after @tylerbowyer introduced you two. Stop trying to rewrite the history the rest of us actually lived through @MrsErikaKirk. YOU didn't build ANYTHING. YOU married into it," one critic wrote. "WE did, though. The same people you are labeling as trying to destroy HIS movement, as you do exactly that. We all know HE was about to leave YOUR largest financial lobby, and YOU have co-opted his movement."

"What is she talking about? Your husband built this long before he ever even knew you existed," echoed another person. "Man can this psychopath tell a lie. Shut up Erika. There’s a special place in h--- for people like you who so easily lie to people way the way you do. For shame on you."

As OK! reported, Erika took over as the CEO of TPUSA after Charlie was fatally shot in September 2025 on the campus of Utah Valley University while at a speaking event for the organization.

Many have accused Erika of basking in the spotlight and no properly mourning her husband in private.