Erika Kirk shocked the internet with an embarrassing slip of the tongue while honoring a student in her late husband’s name.
The 37-year-old was presenting the Charlie Kirk Courage Award to Utah Valley University student Caleb Chilcutt at Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest when she stumbled over her words.
‘Despite the devastating loss of Charlie Kirk, my incredible husband, Caleb has persisted with the same grift, gift, grit… it has been a long day.’
‘Trust me you’re not a grifter, honey,’ she then told Chilcutt. ‘It’s all good.’
Chilcutt has also run with Erika’s slip up, writing ‘Turning Point’s favorite grifter’ in his Instagram bio.
The four-day conference in Phoenix, Arizona, featured prominent MAGA and conservative firebrands who spoke on panels and celebrated the life and legacy of activist Charlie Kirk.
But Erika’s gaffe stunned viewers, with some going as far as to say she was calling the student or even her late husband a ‘grifter’.
Social media users flooded X calling her slip up ‘incredible’, with one even labeling it a ‘Freudian slip’.
Erika Kirk poses with student Caleb Chilcutt during Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest on Saturday
Erika Kirk smiles during Student Awards at Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest 2025 on Saturday
Erika and Charlie Kirk, the pair were married for four years and have two children
‘Oops… that wasn’t supposed to come out,’ one user wrote of the awkward moment.
Others slammed her reaction, with one writing: ‘”It has been a long day!” There’s always an excuse.’
Some even went as far as saying she meant it: ‘Freudian slip or on purpose? Hard to tell with Erika,’ one user wrote.
‘She meant EXACTLY what she said,’ another X user wrote.
Chilcutt was presented with the courage award on Saturday for his effort to memorialize Charlie Kirk’s legacy on and off campus.
The college senior, who is also the chapter president of Utah Valley University’s TPUSA chapter, has ‘worked to establish an official memorial’ for Charlie, according to his bio.
Erika’s slip of the tongue has taken the internet by storm, with some making jokes that conservative podcaster Candace Owens had something to do with it.
‘She was thinking about Candace Owens,’ one X user wrote.
Erika looks on as a student from Utah Valley University is given an award during AmericaFest, the first Turning Point USA summit since the assassination of Charlie Kirk
For weeks Candace Owens and Erika have been at war, slugging each other across social media, podcasts and TV panels over the late TPUSA boss Charlie.
Owens has been airing wild conspiracy theories over Charlie Kirk’s death, while Erika has been defending her husband, scrambling to preserve his legacy.
But the pair sat down to thrash out their grievances in person on Monday, and both described their five-hour meeting as ‘productive’.
