Resurfaced images and videos of Turning Point USA CEO Erika Kirk on stage during a tour stop earlier this year are going viral, as the internet can’t stop talking about the fact that she was wearing a pair of white sneakers with her late husband Charlie Kirk‘s picture on them. Yes, really!
The footage was captured on April 2nd, 2026, when Erika appeared alongside then-White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt at George Washington University’s Lisner Auditorium in Washington, D.C. – less than seven months after Kirk was fatally shot while speaking at a Utah Valley University event in September 2025.
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Erika Kirk Wears Custom Charlie Kirk Sneakers For Turning Point USA Event
The event marked the start of the spring leg of TPUSA's "This Is the Turning Point Tour," with Erika taking center stage after taking over as CEO of the conservative organization her husband co-founded following his death. The tour continued the college events Charlie had become known for, albeit with a different format that saw Erika host lecture-style events alongside guest speakers.
During the Washington, D.C. stop, she and Leavitt discussed a range of topics, including politics and motherhood. Erika wore an all-white outfit for the event, consisting of an oversized white blazer and matching loose-fitting, wide-leg trousers. She completed the monochromatic look with chunky white platform sneakers with a very unique detail…
The white sneakers featured a picture of Charlie on the side, which seemingly went under the radar at the time. However, pictures of them resurfaced online this week and quickly went viral, with many social media users weighing in!
Fans and critics alike had a lot to say about Erika's unusual tribute to her late husband. Some joked about possible names for the custom sneakers, including "Kirk Force Ones" and "Air Kirks," while others questioned whether wearing her late husband's image on her shoes was actually a respectful way to honor him. Someone even said she was "literally walking over him!"
Huge excitement for @MrsErikaKirk and @karolineleavitt at @TPUSA event in GWU, who looks absolutely stunning even at nine months pregnant. Another kind of woman would have already stopped working, and I’m told she’ll barely take a few days off after giving birth. She is a woman… pic.twitter.com/82ASqGq6B6
— Javier Negre (@javiernegre10) April 2, 2026
Internet Reactions
"Even her shoes are kirkified," one person quipped on Instagram. "Air Kirks is wild," joked a second, as a third dubbed them: "Kirk Force Ones." "Rocking the Nike Kirks," wrote a fourth, while a fifth suggested: "Pretty cool Sneakirks."
"Imagine rocking up on the first day of school with fresh kirkies on your feet," joked a sixth. "'Kirkies on my feet, make my Lectures complete,'" quipped a seventh. "Imagine stepping on a ketchup packet in these," joked an eighth.
Others were less amused by the unusual footwear. "Wearing your dead husband on your shoes is crazy," wrote one critic. "Literally walking on his legacy," added a second. "It's so that she can continue, even after death, to walk all over him," speculated a third.
"Stepping on him after his death is low," wrote a fourth. "This feels disrespectful. It's the same vibe as his bloody mic being on display. Literally and figuratively walking over him," commented a fifth. "How would a normal person grieve their assassinated husband? I know!" joked a sixth, as a seventh said it was "cringe."
"Secondhand embarrassment through the roof," added an eighth. "Can't believe this isn't AI," quipped a ninth, as a tenth slammed: "Lord that woman is not right."
