Candace Owens launched a fiery critique of Erika Kirk this week, claiming the widow of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk “missed the mark” in addressing conspiracy theories surrounding her husband’s assassination.
According to the New York Post, Owens went on X to accuse Kirk of deploying “the exact same emotional strategy used by BLM.”
“It is a positively ABSURD notion that you cannot critique a 150 million dollar organization because the CEO says they are like a family, and are grieving,” Owens wrote.
Owens, once a close friend of Charlie Kirk, has repeatedly targeted Erika in the wake of her husband’s murder, suggesting that Kirk was “betrayed” and even insinuating possible government or foreign involvement in the assassination.
The podcaster has criticized Erika for focusing on her personal grief rather than publicly addressing the rampant conspiracy theories as CEO of TPUSA.
“It completely missed the mark for me. I am sorry. It just has,” Owens said on her podcast. “But the good news is that she is now un-murking the water in terms of her intentions with this massive political organization.”
Erika Kirk, speaking publicly for the first time about the conspiracy theories, acknowledged their prevalence but said she does not have time to address each one. She stressed her focus is on justice and protecting her family, both her immediate family and the team she inherited at TPUSA.
“This is righteous anger because this is not OK, this is not healthy. This is a mind virus,” Kirk said in a statement shared by Owens.
Owens seized on those remarks to question Kirk’s leadership.
“Turning Point USA looks so suspicious,” she said. “You don’t just get to be widowed into chairman and CEO. Don’t try to, like, ‘mom’ the organization and say, ‘Well, Mother’s upset because people are coming after her kids and all of the multimillion-dollar subsidiaries.’ She gave us emotion. She said, ‘I’m a mother. I am a wife.’ And we never asked about whether she was a mother or wife. We want to know if she is a CEO and a chairman.”
The exchange underscores ongoing tensions within conservative media circles, as Owens continues to challenge Erika Kirk’s public role while the widow navigates grief and the immense responsibilities of running the organization her late husband co-founded.
This clash highlights the broader debate over how personal loss and public leadership intersect in high-profile political organizations.
