30 Minutes ago in Washington, Erika Kirk was confirmed as…See more
Teens Revolt Over Erika Kirk’s Visit To Their High School
Erika is turning her attention to high school students after hardly anyone at a state university bothered to show up to her event.
Students at a Phoenix high school are revolting against a planned visit from right-wing personality Erika Kirk.
After a sparsely attended Turning Point USA campus event, Erika is now turning her attention to high schoolers, with a planned event at Pinnacle High School in north Phoenix next week.But she is already not being met with open arms by students and parents.
“I don’t know why she’s coming here, to be honest,” Francisco Sanchez, a senior at Pinnacle High School, told 12 News Phoenix. “I think the topics that she talks about are too extremist for a school. I think there are better representatives we can have.”
Erika pictured at Charlie's funeral, which was held in Arizona at the Arizona Cardinals stadium.Daniel Cole/REUTERS
“It’s a little crazy because I would never have expected someone like her to show up at a high school,” high school senior Kasandra Acosta told the outlet.
“I’m pretty shocked. Honestly, I’m surprised it’s even happening,” she added.
Parents of students enrolled at the school told The Arizona Republic they were concerned about security--especially after earlier this week, Erika, who became CEO of her late husband Charlie Kirk’s TPUSA organization after his September killing, skipped an event at the University of Georgia over safety concerns.
“It’s not just your average citizen coming over to speak to the club. She brings politics with her, she brings division with her, just because everybody in America is divided,” Bobbe Noland, a parent of a Pinnacle student, told the Republic.
Vance, the second in line to the presidency, still attended the event earlier this week, despite security concerns with Erika.Jonathan Ernst/REUTERS
School officials told parents this week that students would see an increased security presence on campus during the event, prompting some parents to also demand that the school move her visit to after-school hours.
Phoenix Police told 12 News that since Erika’s visit was a private event, the responsibility for securing it rests with the event organizers and must be coordinated with the school district.
“We regularly work with community partners to support public safety during gatherings. As with any event, our officers will continue to monitor activity, review available information, and adjust deployment strategies as needed to help ensure a safe environment for students, staff, and the surrounding community,” a police spokesperson said in a statement.
Her speaking appearance has been organized with the school’s Club America chapter, a TPUSA-affiliated organization. The right-wing nonprofit is headquartered in Phoenix, and she and Charlie lived in the nearby affluent suburb of Scottsdale for many years.
The Daily Beast reached out to TPUSA for comment on the controversy.
Students at Pinnacle High School are not too enthused by Erika's visit to campus next week.Daniel Cole/REUTERS
It’s not the first time she and her late husband stirred up controversy in Arizona’s public schools.
In 2021, Erika and Charlie raged against the Scottsdale Unified School District’s mask policy during the COVID-19 pandemic at a school board meeting. At the time, the couple did not have any children yet.
During the meeting, Charlie called the mask policy a “self-righteous measure” enacted to “abuse the children.”
“There is zero evidence to show that children are at a significant risk of catching or dying from the Chinese coronavirus,” he claimed, adding, “You have awoke a sleeping giant. I hope you enjoy your masked, short-term future here while it still lasts.”
The Kirks had welcomed their first child in August 2022, a year after they complained to a school board about its COVID policies.Samuel Corum/Getty Images
Erika, who grew up in Scottsdale but attended private Catholic school, went as far as to demand a moment of silence at the board meeting for “the kids who will end up committing suicide this upcoming school year in 2021 and 2022 because of your reckless and ego-centered leadership and lack thereof.”
“As Christians, we are told to pray for our leaders and that is what I will do every day,” she said. “May God have mercy on your souls for everything you guys are doing in this leadership position.”One Scottsdale parent called them out, pointing out that they didn’t even have children who were enrolled in the city’s public schools.
“While the agitators from outside our district would have you think that masks mandates are only in place at liberal public schools, the list of private and parochial schools also enacting mask mandates is far from short,” the parent said. “I applaud SUSD’s governing board.”
At 20, Barron Trump finally CONFIRMS what everyone had long suspected…👇👇👇.
“I Thought You Had No One,” My Husband Mocked After Slapping Me. Then The Ballroom Doors Opened And My Father Walked In.
Chapter 1: The Toast That Drew Blood
"Look at you," Salem whispered, leaning down to press a fake, dry kiss against my temple. His hand on my lower back felt less like an embrace and more like a leash. "My mother actually smiled at you, Ava. Do you know how hard that is to achieve?"
"I smiled back, Salem. That’s how manners work," I replied, keeping my eyes fixed on the six hundred guests swirling around the gold-lit ballroom.
"Don't get snarky tonight," he warned, his voice dropping into that quiet, sharp edge he’d developed over the last year. "This party is a huge deal for my father's firm. Just... play the part of the grateful wife."
"The grateful wife," I repeated under my breath, feeling the weight of the massive diamond ring on my finger.
Before I could say another word, the sharp clinking of a silver spoon against a crystal glass rang out. My father-in-law, Arthur, stood at the microphone on the stage. The string quartet died down, and six hundred rich, judgmental faces turned toward him.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Arthur’s voice boomed, smooth as expensive bourbon. "Two years ago, my son Salem married a woman with... no background. No family. No name."
A soft, elegant ripple of laughter moved through the crowd.
My blood ran cold. I grabbed Salem’s sleeve. "Salem, tell him to stop. Right now."
Salem didn't look at me. He just adjusted his tuxedo cuffs, a tight, nervous smile plastered on his face for the cameras. "He’s just joking, Ava. Relax."
"She brought absolutely nothing into our estate," Arthur continued, staring directly at me from the stage, his eyes cruel and amused. "No value, no connections, no worth. But we took her in anyway. Because the Arthur family believes in charity."
The laughter in the room grew louder. It was a controlled, expensive kind of mocking, and every eye in the room was burning into me.
"Salem," I whispered, my voice trembling with a mix of fury and disbelief. "Stand up for me. Say something."
"Shut up, Ava," Salem hissed through his teeth, his smile never fading. "You're making a scene. Just laugh along."
"No." I stepped back, tearing my arm away from his grip. I looked him dead in the eye. "Stop it, Salem. This is disgusting."
The ballroom suddenly seemed to inhale. The whispers cut off entirely. Six hundred pairs of eyes locked onto us.
Salem’s fake smile completely vanished. His face flushed a dark, angry purple. He crossed the small distance between us in one terrifying stride.
"I told you," Salem growled, "to shut your mouth."
CRACK.
The slap echoed off the marble walls. The force of it threw my head back, the metallic taste of blood immediately hitting my tongue. My cheek burned like fire.
The silence that followed was suffocating. On stage, Arthur simply adjusted his cufflinks, nodding in approval.
I didn't cry. Something inside me just went entirely, beautifully cold. I reached into my diamond clutch, pulled out my phone, and dialed a number I hadn't touched in months.
It picked up on the first ring.
"Dad," I said softly into the receiver, my voice dead calm. "Please come get me. Ravenshore Estate."
"Who are you calling, you pathetic loser?" Salem mocked loudly, stepping closer, emboldened by the crowd's silence. "I thought you had no one."
I wiped the blood from my lip, looking him dead in the eye. "I don't have anyone here. But he'll be here in five minutes."
