Erika Kirk was accused of ‘protecting pedophiles’ by a heckler during her speech at the Turning Point USA Women’s Leadership Summit on Friday in Texas.
Kirk, who has taken over as CEO of TPUSA in the wake of her husband Charlie’s assassination, was giving her address when she was rudely interrupted with the vile slur.
The female heckler repeated: ‘Erika Kirk protects pedophiles! Erika Kirk protects pedophiles!’
As the crowd booed, however, Kirk turned the jeers to applause with a comeback.
‘Happiness comes and goes and I pray that you find it,’ she said.
The crowd in San Antonio roared with approval as the heckler was removed, shouting: ‘We love you, Erika!’
‘I love you guys, too,’ she responded.
‘That’s an important moment because, that just showed duty to faithfulness gives our life meaning and we must pray for our enemies and those that do not feel that their life has meaning.’
Erika Kirk was accused of ‘protecting pedophiles’ by a heckler during her speech at the Turning Point USA Women’s Leadership Summit on Friday in Texas
The female heckler repeated: ‘Erika Kirk protects pedophiles! Erika Kirk protects pedophiles!’
Kirk, who has taken over as CEO of TPUSA in the wake of her husband Charlie’s assassination, was giving her address when interrupted with the vile slur
The crowd went wild again with cheers.
‘That’s a perfect example. You pray for your enemies, you pray for those that persecute you. That’s not the enemy, we know who the real enemy is,’ Erika said.
Turning Point USA spokesman Andrew Kolvet echoed the positivity that came from the moment.
‘It ended up being a really powerful and instructive moment because not only did Erika respond with a lot of poise and strength, but the record 3,000 strong crowd of ladies exploded in applause and support for her after she did,’ he told The Daily Mail.
‘If a heckler wants to waste their time and money making a fool of themselves in front of thousands of people, that’s their prerogative!’
Charlie Kirk was assassinated during a speech at Utah Valley University last September.
Erika discussed the hatred she has endured after comedian Druski mocked her in viral skits earlier this year.
‘Every morning, I wake up to a new headline about me,’ Kirk said.
‘I have comedians dressing up in white face, I have people saying I’m not fit to be CEO and I have Candace Owens claiming I murdered my husband,’ she added. ‘And the list goes on, and on, and on.’
Druski has shared multiple videos in which he portrays a conservative woman, complete with a blonde wig, makeup, a cross necklace, a Bible and prosthetics.
Though he has never named her directly, Kirk and others online appeared to make the connection – something the widow has addressed multiple times.
Even President Trump slammed the comedian over the skit, declaring at the White House Easter lunch that Kirk should ‘sue their a** off.’
Last month, Erika shared a touching memory from her honeymoon as she addressed hundreds of graduates just a day after marking her first wedding anniversary as a widow.
She gave the commencement speech at Hillsdale College in Michigan. Speaking emotionally to graduates of the conservative Christian college, she shared an anecdote from her honeymoon which she said was ‘painful’ but also brought her happiness.
She explained she had been reflecting on it as she marked her first wedding anniversary without her late husband.
As the crowd booed, however, Kirk turned the jeers to applause with a comeback. ‘Happiness comes and goes and I pray that you find it,’ she said
The TPUSA CEO sobbed, ‘I just want to go home,’ as she was rushed to safety by two Secret Service agents during a shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner
The crowd in San Antonio roared with approval as the heckler was removed, shouting ‘we love you, Erika!’
Erika fondly recalled how Kirk had broken the rules of their ‘no-phone’ honeymoon to listen to Hillsdale lectures as she encouraged the new graduates to continue learning throughout their lives.
The address marked Erika’s first high-profile public appearance since she announced she was taking a step back from the spotlight in the wake of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting.
Her speech at Hillsdale came a day after she shared a heart-wrenching anniversary tribute to Kirk featuring a montage of wedding clips, family time spent with their children and candid, everyday moments as a couple.
‘Even though our kids won’t see our love “grow old together” from an earthly stand point, they’ll see it from a Heavenly one,’ the widow wrote.
‘And I’ll tell them of our love story any moment I can,’ she added. ‘Happy Anniversary to the love of my life.’
In the months since after her husband’s public assassination, Erika has been hounded by online conspiracy theorists and commentators who have falsely accused her of playing a role in his death.
Erika was seen in tears leaving the White House Correspondents Dinner in April following an assassination attempt against President Donald Trump.
In May, she was forced to hit back at cruel trolls who claimed on social media that she had a new boyfriend.
Comedian Druski made videos in which he portrays a conservative woman, complete with a blonde wig, makeup, a cross necklace, a Bible and prosthetics
After Kirk’s death, the Turning Point USA board voted Erika to take his place as CEO, citing Charlie’s expressed wishes
The post quickly sparked attention online, but Erika immediately set the record straight.
‘Every single word here is a lie. Charlie’s love will last me a lifetime. The Lord is the only one who can ever fill that most painful void,’ she wrote.
The page alleged that ‘a trusted eyewitness’ spotted Erika and Wynn at Bar Nineteen12, a ritzy lounge located inside California’s Beverly Hills Hotel, ‘getting very intimate’ with each other on May 14.
But, according to Erika, she was nowhere near the bar that day.
‘On May 14th I was home in Arizona celebrating my son’s 2nd birthday. Blake (who is about to be engaged to his longtime gf) was a dear friend of my husband’s and I am grateful for his continued support, just like hundreds of others,’ she said.
‘Your deranged obsession with me and blatant disregard for any form of truth whatsoever is deeply disturbing and I am praying you get the help you so clearly need.
‘Brush off the Dorito dust and go touch grass,’ Erika continued.
