Just before his death, Charlie Kirk finished writing a book about his experience honoring the Sabbath. That work, Stop, in the Name of God: Why Honoring the Sabbath Will Transform Your Life, hit shelves earlier this week and is already a bestseller.
Erika Kirk has been making the media rounds to, as Megyn explained, “complete his publicity tour” and “honor the stops the Charlie had committed to.” That led to some headline-making interviews in which she addressed, in the clearest terms yet, the theories and accusations that have arisen about her husband’s assassination.
On Thursday’s show, Megyn was joined by Tom Bevan, Carl Cannon, and Andrew Walworth of RealClearPolitics to discuss the growing divide on the right over this issue and what it could mean politically for the GOP heading into the midterms.
Kirk Speaks Out
Kirk was a guest on Fox News’ Outnumbered on Wednesday, where she gave a forceful response to the rumors and conspiracy theories that have surrounded her husband’s death.
“I do not have time to address the noise. My silence does not mean that I am complacent. My silence does not mean that somehow Turning Point USA and all of the handpicked staff that loved my husband and my husband loved them is somehow in on it,” she said emphatically. “We are busy building.”
“And you know what I thought? I thought, ‘These people are human. We are all grieving in our own way, and they are trying to find the answer to something that happened that was so evil. They are trying so hard.’ And I get that. We’re doing the same,” Kirk added. “Any time we hear a lead, or anytime we hear anything, we send it to the authorities [and say], ‘Please dig into this.’ No rock will be unturned.I want justice for my husband, for myself, for my family more than anyone else out there. So, for me, you want to keep telling me to come down while we’re building? I don’t have time for that.”
But she said she has reached a “breaking point” as it relates to attacks on her staff. “But here’s my breaking point on that. Come after me. Call me names. I don’t care. Call me what you want. Go down that rabbit hole. Whatever,” Kirk said. “But when you go after my family, my Turning Point USA family and Charlie Kirk Show family, when you go after the people that I love and you’re making hundreds and thousands of dollars every single episode going after the people that I love because somehow they’re in on this. No.”
When host Harris Faulkner interjected, “I’ve never seen you like this,” Kirk called her emotions “righteous anger.”
“This is not okay, it’s not healthy. This is a mind virus,” she said. “This is a duty to my husband, and it’s an absolute honor. And I will never back down. And so my message to them is to stop, to stop.”
Owens’ Responds
Kirk never mentioned Owens by name, but it was clear that the conversation was about her. “Erika, as fired up as I’ve seen her on this, clearly addressed Candace directly without saying her name. And I know for a fact this was an address to Candace,” Megyn noted. “And Candace knew it too because she responded to it.”
While Owens had previously suggested she would back off her claims at Kirk’s request, she seemed to double down on her podcast released late Wednesday.
“First and foremost, the idea that she does not have time. Okay? She definitely has time,” Owens said. “She’s done Hannity. She’s done The Five. She’s done Fox & Friends. She’s done Outnumbered. She’s done Megyn Kelly Live. She sat down with The New York Times. She made time, by the way, in case you don’t remember, to fly to D.C. for Sergio Gor to be sworn in to the ambassador to India. Erika Kirk has time. She has time.”
Instead, Owens accused the newly minted TPUSA CEO of having different priorities. “It is just, what she means to say, not her priority, which is– you are allowed to prioritize things in your own life. But this is not a matter of time constraints,” she continued. “It is not her priority to respond to the majority, actually. The majority of people think of this as BS. The majority of people think Turning Point is acting suspicious, and she does not feel that it is what she wants to do, as a matter of priority, responding.”
According to Owens, Kirk’s “emotional” response to her claims is a reflection of her leadership abilities. “This is why there are many people who do not believe that women are equipped to lead companies. Because what you are watching here is an unbelievably emotional response that is absent of any logic, okay,” Owens said. “If you really care about your team, answer the questions, okay? Just demystify the entire event. Answer, come out, sit down, answer the questions, so people don’t think Turning Point USA looks so suspicious.”
The Politics of It All
Megyn said she will have more to say “very soon” on what is happening “between Erika Kirk and Turning Point on the one hand and Candace on the other.” For now, she focused on the political ramifications because she sees this as one of two issues – Israel being the other – that is currently dividing the conservative movement.
“I don’t think there was a more important organization [than TPUSA] in getting Donald Trump elected last time around, in terms of get out the vote, especially when it came to young people. Charlie delivered the youth vote to Trump in a way we hadn’t seen Republicans win for many years,” Megyn said. “They’re still going strong… and Erika is determined to lead that organization into the next decade in as robustly as Charlie would have”
That is why, Megyn added, the organization being “constantly being under attack by Candace and her followers for having had something to do with Charlie’s death – which is her theory, among other theories – actually could have somewhat of an impact.”
But will it be any more impactful than the president’s approval rating, tariffs, “affordability,” and/or any of the other traditional issues that would determine whether Republicans win or lose?
While Bevan called Owens’ reporting “unbelievably toxic” and “a distraction,” he doesn’t believe it will necessarily move the needle. “In terms of having some sort of impact on the overall political landscape, I do think this election and the next election are going to be based on what the public writ large cares about,” he explained. “That is affordability, inflation, gas prices… Trump’s approval rating… and Democrats and their ability to leverage that stuff against the Republican Party in these midterms and then again in 2028.”
Of the two issues Megyn mentioned, Walworth sees shifting positions on Israel as the bigger concern. “I do think that this split around Israel, especially for young people, is something to keep an eye on,” he said. “Maybe not ’26 or ’28, but in the long term.”
In the short term, he has his eye on other areas. “Overall, I would say I think the midterms are going to turn on the economy [and] I think this health care issue is much bigger than… some Republicans understand,” Walworth noted. “I think that’s going to be a major, major issue.”
You can check out Megyn’s full interview with RealClearPolitics by tuning in to episode 1,211 on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you like to listen. And don’t forget that you can catch The Megyn Kelly Show live on SiriusXM’s The Megyn Kelly Channel (channel 111) weekdays from 12pm to 2pm ET.