Trump slammed for 'gross' act towards Erika Kirk in Oval Office

Donald Trump has been slammed by critics after a brief interaction with Erika Kirk in the Oval Office.

Erika, who is now the Turning Point CEO following the assassination of her husband Charlie Kirk in September, was at the White House for a special ceremony on Monday (November 11).

A family friend, Sergio Gor, was to be sworn in as the new ambassador for India by Trump.

According to reports, it was a packed event and the US president had even invited Erika to speak.

During her speech to Gor, she said: “Charlie loved you. He would have been the first phone call when he found out if you were going to be taking this position.

“The way that I was able to witness the two of you work together for years and to champion and support the president was absolutely humbling to witness, and I am so proud of you and Charlie is going to be with you every single day in spirit.

“I will be praying for you every day because I know that this is just the beginning of an incredible opportunity for you."

However, a brief moment during the ceremony appeared to leave Trump’s critics in a rage.

He asked where Erika was and proceeded to give her a kiss on the cheek during a half-hug embrace.

While not a particularly controversial moment, some people on social media seem to have taken issue with it.

Speaking about the kiss, one X user wrote: “Nasty gross old a** man.”

Another sarcastically wrote: “I LOVE it when my boss kisses me. Especially on tv and in front of everyone. Fun!”

A third added: “Why is she even there? Disgusting and gross.”

Other comments focused on the apparent uptick in visibility of Erika in recent times.

One person commented: “No hater s*** but why do they keeping her round so much? Her late husband wasn’t even an elected official so what’s da point of dis exactly?”

Despite those being critical of moment, some people thought the gesture was sweet and a normal show of affection by the president.

One said: “Trump actually seems like a really affectionate and loving person. I don't know if that's just in recent times, or if it's because the mainstream media have only ever portrayed him as a grump.”

A second wrote: “Just a fatherly mild peck on the cheek. That’s it. Nothing more to see here folks.”

And someone else simply penned: “How sweet!”