Erika Kirk's Comments About 'Career-Driven Women' Have People Looking At Her Sideways

Erika Kirk is back in the spotlight (though she's never really left it since her husband, Charlie Kirk's, shocking death). The new Turning Point USA CEO made an appearance at the 2025 DealBook Summit on December 3, 2025, to discuss New York Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani, among many other things. The NYC politician has been getting under President Donald Trump's skin and, it would appear, Erika's too. While acknowledging that Mamdani had appealed to young female voters, she admitted to finding this concerning. "I think there's a tendency, especially when you live in a city like Manhattan, where again, you're so career-driven and you almost look to the government as a form of replacement for certain things — relationship-wise even," Erika argued (via Instagram). 

She added that she was worried that women would look to the likes of the mayor-elect to provide the kind of security and support a husband ideally should. This hot take had her critics seething, with one pointing out on X, formerly known as Twitter, "This makes no sense. He [Mamdani] ran on universal childcare. The costs of childcare are a big reason people don't have kids." Others felt that the former pageant queen painting career-driven women as problematic was highly hypocritical. "Babes, you got married at 33! 33! The sanctity signal virtuing [sic] knowing you got married 15 years AFTER high school and 11 years after college, is exhausting," one such user penned.

Plenty of netizens pointed out that Erika Kirk lived an eventful life before she settled down with a husband and kids, and they were correct in their assertions. Before stepping up as the new CEO of Turning Point USA, following her husband's death, Erika was arguably every bit as career-driven and ambitious as the women who voted for Zohran Mamdani. As one X user proclaimed, in response to her divisive comments at the DealBook Summit, "She's a college educated woman who didn't get married and have kids until her 30s but ok!" And indeed, Erika has several degrees, one in political science, international relations, and American legal studies, and she's not done yet either — Erika is also currently studying for her doctorate in biblical studies. 

Furthermore, Erika Kirk had a lucrative career before she became the CEO of Turning Point USA. The former beauty queen hosted the "Midweek Rise Up" podcast before Charlie Kirk's untimely passing and she built two businesses before getting married: Christian clothing line Proclaim and ministry project Biblein365. Erika was right about one thing at the Summit, though; women are looking to Mamdani for some support — affordable childcare was one of the big issues he ran on, and it's one the Trump administration (of which Erika is a big fan) has failed at woefully so far.