Do Erika Kirk And Donald Trump Have History? Inside The Rumors

The footage of President Donald Trump hugging an emotional Erika Kirk at her late husband Charlie Kirk's funeral in September 2025 went viral on social media — and for good reason. While Charlie was well known in Republican circles, Erika mostly flew under the radar. That is, until her husband was assassinated. The snap of Erika being embraced by the president incentivized netizens to do some digging to figure out whether they knew each other prior to the sad event. In a post that also went viral, a user on X, formerly known as Twitter, cited Erika's participation in the 2012 Miss USA pageant as proof that she and Trump do indeed go way back. For those who are unaware, the divisive politician used to co-own the pageant, and one of the photos showed Erika posing in a bikini in front of a backdrop featuring an advertisement for the Trump International Hotel. 

Naturally, this set tongues wagging, and those who have kept up with the former real estate mogul's many indiscretions over the years will recall the disturbing details about Trump's time as the Miss Universe pageant owner. Among other things, he bragged about sneaking glances at contestants in their dressing rooms while discussing his business on "The Howard Stern Show." During a pretty infamous 2005 episode, the future commander-in-chief admitted, "You know, they're standing there with no clothes [...] And you see these incredible-looking women, and so, I sort of get away with things like that," (via CNN). If Erika had this type of encounter with Trump while she was a contestant in 2012, she hasn't disclosed it. There isn't any evidence to suggest that the two knew each other prior to the president's acquaintance with Charlie either, but the rumor mill churns on.

Erika Kirk has lived an eventful life, and after Charlie Kirk's death, she quickly became the new CEO of his controversial organization, Turning Point USA. But this isn't her first rodeo. Erika previously founded the clothing brands Proclaim Christian and BIBLEin365. She's also a philanthropist and the mastermind behind Everyday Heroes Like You, a charity that aims to help other non-profits thrive. Unfortunately, when you have ties to Donald Trump, you become a person of interest. As the old adage goes, you're known by the company you keep, and rumors are swirling that Erika has certain things in common with the president.

They initially made the rounds on social media in late September 2025, with users claiming that Romanian Angels, a division of Erika's non-profit, had previously been involved in child trafficking in Romania. Internet sleuths shared screenshots of Romanian articles pertaining to the allegations on X, but they were quickly debunked by Snopes, which pointed out there was no evidence of Erika's non-profit ever being involved in these illegal activities and that the articles in question don't even mention Erika or her organization. 

Of course, some were quick to take the bait regardless, given the Kirks' close ties to Trump, who has found himself in increasingly hot water because of his connection to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, who ran an expansive sex trafficking ring of his own. Trump's name on the Epstein list isn't surprising, given the pair's long history, but the divisive leader has continued to scramble to keep the entirety of the files from being made public. Charlie, who initially called for their release, faced public criticism after taking a step back from the commotion and confirming he trusted the Trump administration to handle the situation.