Featured Image Credit: Getty Images/Joe Raedle
Topics: News, US News, Donald Trump, Charlie Kirk, Politics
Kit Roberts
Topics: News, US News, Donald Trump, Charlie Kirk, Politics
President Donald Trump and Erika Kirk are actually more connected than people previously thought.
Erika and Trump both spoke at the memorial for her late husband, Charlie Kirk, who was fatally shot in the neck on September 10 while attending a college speaking event in Utah.
At the memorial service on Sunday (September 21), the 36-year-old broke down in tears while speaking about Kirk, their marriage, and her new appointment as CEO of Turning Point USA.
The 79-year-old was the last to speak, where he not only discussed the podcaster but also a whole host of other topics. After this, the pair were photographed hugging on the main stage, while Erika performed a heartbreaking gesture.
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However, people on social media were surprised to learn that the two have a connection that stretches further back than the memorial.
Images of Erika's days as a competitor in the Miss USA beauty pageant resurfaced online, with the businesswoman pictured wearing a bikini.
Miss USA was a sister organisation of Miss Universe, which Trump once owned for 19 years before selling it in 2015. The picture shows Erika posing in front of a panel which has 'Trump International Hotel Las Vegas' printed on it.
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Erika won the Miss Arizona USA title on her 23rd birthday in November 2011, which provided her with a stepping stone to compete in the Miss USA competition.
One person took to X (formerly Twitter) to share the revelation from the pair's past.
They wrote: “Oooooh. Erika Kirk competed in the 2012 Miss USA competition, which was owned by Trump. Her talent portion for the Miss Arizona contest was performing a dribbling exhibition with two balls.
"Her website still lists contact info to book her for modeling and acting.”
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Erika, then known as Erika Lane Frantzve, later said that she decided to compete in the competition to 'further my causes', adding:"What really matters is making a difference, and I want to change the world. The bling is just a bonus."
She met Kirk in 2018 for a job interview, with a clip shared by Erika after her husband's death of him explaining their 'love story' to their young daughter.
In the clip, he says: "We're here at Bill's Burgers in New York City. Right near this very table was the first time Dada met Mama.
"It started as a job interview, and I was asking all these questions... Then I realised Mama was beautiful and smart and elegant and Christlike, and so I said, 'Forget this job interview. I want to date you'.”
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At his memorial service, Trump referred to Kirk as a 'giant of his generation', and he has previously credited him for helping him land the 2024 election.
During his speech, he also thanked Erika, whom he described as 'incredible and beautiful', and said that Turning Point USA will become bigger and better and stronger than ever before under her leadership.