JD Vance & Erika Kirk's Painfully Awkward Behavior At AmFest 2025 Says It All

Erika Kirk could not stop talking about JD Vance at the 2025 AmericaFest event in Phoenix. A few days after she endorsed him as the next president, there was an awkward moment when the Turning Point USA CEO sat down with surprise guest Nicki Minaj. The rapper had high praise for members of the Trump administration, but put her foot in her mouth when talking about the Veep. "Role models like the assassin, JD Vance, our vice president," Minaj said before realizing she had described Vance as an "assassin" to Charlie Kirk's widow, whose husband was assassinated. Fortunately for everyone in attendance, Erika was able to laugh off the ill-advised word choice.

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The awkwardness officially reached levels of cringe when Vance came onto the stage after Minaj. He delivered an impassioned speech to the crowd. "So if you love America, if you want all of us to be richer, stronger, safer, and prouder, you have a home on this team," the vice president said, per Fox News. Prior to the speech, Vance seemed determined to not recreate the intimate hug he shared with Erika at a Turning Point USA in October that immediately sparked affair rumors. 

This time around, Vance had his arms raised while the crowd cheered him on, and Erika made her way across the stage to greet him. Looking to keep it casual, JD opted for a high five, which Erika took before bringing it in for a hug. The Veep wisely kept his distance and made the hug short and sweet as he patted Charlie's widow on the back. Maybe JD was extra diligent about the optics of their greeting after hearing what Erika said about their previous hug earlier at AmFest.

Days earlier at AmericaFest, Erika Kirk did Usha Vance dirty when she referenced affair rumors about her and JD Vance following their prolonged viral hug. The widow of Charlie Kirk took aim at political commentator Joy Reid, who had hinted at an inappropriate relationship between Erika and JD. "Joy Reid probably needs a really, really good hug," Erika said on December 18. "I've got a good hug for you, good hug for you. ... I'll even touch the back of your head," Erika added, referencing how she embraced JD. The former beauty queen seemed to enjoy discussing her and JD's affectionate moment.

The previous month, Erika offered a defense of her hug with JD, which hilariously backfired. During an interview with Megyn Kelly in November, Erika laughed off rumors about her and the vice president. "Whoever is hating on hugging needs a hug themselves," she told Kelly. "My love language is touch, if you will," Erika said, further explaining that it was an emotional moment when she hugged JD for the Turning Point USA crowd.

Clips of Erika's exchange with Kelly were posted to X, where people were unimpressed with her explanation. "[L]ove language? Is that how she addresses the VP? With love language?" one user wrote. Others believed that Erika had become fixated on her viral embrace and needed to just be quiet on the subject for a while.