20 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 governi
I only meant to check on my daughter, but the scene inside that dining room made my blood turn cold. She was pregnant, drenched, and shaking over a sink piled high with dishes, while her husband laughed with investors and his mother watched like a queen. “Hurry up,” he snapped. “You’re humiliating me.” I walked out without a word and made one phone call. Moments later, his investors pushed back their chairs, killed the million-dollar contract, and greeted me like the person who truly held their future.
PART 1 — The Night I Discovered What My Daughter Had Been Hiding
The first thing I noticed was not the luxury.
Not the crystal chandelier hanging above the dining room.
Not the polished silverware arranged perfectly across the long wooden table.
Not the six men in expensive suits laughing over glasses of wine while discussing numbers that probably had more zeros than I wanted to count.
The first thing I noticed...
Was my daughter.
And for a moment, I forgot how to breathe.
Emily stood near the kitchen sink.
Barefoot.
Eight months pregnant.
Her dress was soaked from the knees down, clinging to her tired body.
Her hair stuck against her cheeks.
Her hands were red and trembling as she scrubbed a mountain of dirty dishes stacked higher than I thought one person should ever have to wash alone.
She looked nothing like the daughter I remembered.
The little girl who used to run through our backyard with muddy shoes.
The teenager who argued about bedtime but always came back five minutes later to hug me.
The young woman who promised me she would never let anyone make her feel small.
But standing there...
She looked small.
Too small.
I had only gone there because I wanted to check on her.
That was all.
Emily had missed three of my calls that week.
She usually answered immediately.
Even when she was busy.
Even when she was tired.
But lately, her messages had become shorter.
I'm okay, Mom.
Just busy.
I'll call you soon.
Every mother knows when those words are hiding something.
We may not know what the secret is.
But we know there is one.
So I drove across town that evening with a small bag of groceries and the excuse that I wanted to bring her some homemade soup.
I didn't tell myself I was worried.
Because admitting that meant something was wrong.
And I wasn't ready for that.
The house was exactly what I expected.
Huge.
Perfect.
Cold.
Daniel had always loved appearances.
Everything about his life was designed to impress people.
The expensive car.
The designer clothes.
The photographs with important people.
The stories about his business.
Especially his business.
He wanted everyone to believe he was a man destined for greatness.
And according to him, tonight was supposed to be one of the biggest nights of his career.
Important investors were visiting.
A million-dollar partnership was supposedly on the table.
That was why, when I opened the front door and heard laughter coming from the dining room, I assumed everything was normal.
Until I saw her.
At the table, Daniel sat at the center.
Like a king.
His suit was perfectly pressed.
His watch probably cost more than my first car.
He held a wine glass in one hand while explaining his vision to the men around him.
"Gentlemen," he said confidently, "success is built on trust."
Everyone listened.
Everyone smiled.
Everyone looked impressed.
Except my daughter.
She was standing behind them.
Cleaning up after them.
Daniel's mother, Marianne, sat beside him.
She was wearing a pearl necklace and the expression of someone who believed the entire room belonged to her.
The moment she noticed me, her smile disappeared.
Then she recovered.
"Well," she said loudly.
Every person at the table turned.
"Look who decided to visit without announcing herself."
Her tone was polite.
But I knew women like Marianne.
They could insult you while smiling.
"Linda."
Daniel looked over.
His smile paused for half a second.
Then it returned.
Sharp.
Controlled.
"Didn't expect to see you tonight."
Not Mom.
Not welcome.
Just my name.
I noticed.
Emily looked up.
"Mom?"
The way she said it broke my heart.
Not because she was happy to see me.
Because she sounded embarrassed.
Like she had been caught doing something shameful.
I stepped farther into the room.
My eyes never left her.
"Why is my daughter wet?"
Nobody answered immediately.
That silence told me more than any explanation could.
Daniel laughed softly.
The kind of laugh people use when they want everyone else to think the person asking questions is being unreasonable.
"Linda, relax."
He lifted his glass.
"Emily spilled some water."
I looked at the floor.
A puddle surrounded her feet.
But the explanation didn't make sense.
A glass of water didn't make a pregnant woman look terrified.
A glass of water didn't make her hands shake.
A glass of water didn't make her avoid eye contact with her own mother.
"She insisted on helping," Daniel continued.
"You know Emily."
He smiled.
"She can be dramatic."
I looked at my daughter.
"Is that true?"
Emily opened her mouth.
Then closed it.
That hurt more than anything.
Because my daughter had never been afraid to speak.
Not with me.
Not ever.
But now...
She was measuring every word.
Every breath.
Every reaction.
Marianne placed her wine glass down.
"A wife should support her husband."
Her voice was calm.
Almost reasonable.
Especially when heard by strangers.
"Daniel has important people here tonight. The least Emily can do is make things easier for him."
I stared at her.
"By washing dishes?"
Marianne smiled.
"By being useful."
The word hung in the air.
Useful.
Not loved.
Not respected.
Useful.
One of the investors shifted uncomfortably.
Another looked down at his plate.
They noticed.
They all noticed.
But nobody wanted to be the first person to say something.
Because powerful people often create rooms where everyone sees the truth...
And nobody wants to touch it.
I walked closer to Emily.
Only then did I see everything.
The raw skin around her fingers.
The exhaustion under her eyes.
The way one hand kept protecting her stomach.
The way she stood carefully, as if every movement hurt.
And behind her...
A basket full of wet towels.
A cracked glass near her bare feet.
A kitchen floor that looked like she had been cleaning for hours.
Then Daniel spoke.
Without looking at her.
"Emily."
Her shoulders immediately tightened.
"Yes?"
"Move faster."
The entire room went quiet.
"You are making us look bad."
I looked at him.
Really looked at him.
This was the man my daughter married.
The man who promised to protect her.
The man who held her hand when she told us she was pregnant.
The man who looked into my eyes and promised:
"I'll take care of her."
But now...
He was sitting comfortably while she stood barefoot in water.
Emily whispered:
"I'm fine, Mom."
But she wasn't.
And we both knew it.
I slowly placed the grocery bag on the table.
Then I looked around the room.
At the investors.
At Marianne.
At Daniel.
And finally...
At my daughter.
Something inside me changed.
Because I understood something in that moment.
Daniel thought I was powerless.
He thought I was just Linda, an older woman with a modest home and an ordinary life.
He thought he could humiliate my daughter in front of me and face no consequences.
What he didn't know...
Was that I had spent years quietly building something he never bothered to ask about.
I had allowed people to underestimate me.
Because arrogant people reveal themselves when they believe no one can stop them.
I looked at Daniel.
And I smiled.
Not because I was calm.
But because I finally knew exactly who I was dealing with.
And he had no idea...
That the woman he thought was harmless was about to become the biggest problem his empire had ever faced.
