Erika Kirk Completely Ghosts Abysmal TPUSA Halftime Show

Turning Point USA's Super Bowl Halftime concert set out to rival the official 2026 Super Bowl Halftime Show. The event offered conservatives an escape from the musical offerings of the official halftime performer, Puerto Rican star Bad Bunny, who's not exactly popular within Republican circles. However, the TPUSA lineup, led by Kid Rock, Lee Brice, Gabby Barrett, and Brantley Gilbert, was so lackluster that not even its CEO, Erika Kirk, showed up. Erika, the wife of the late Charlie Kirk, went on a media blitz for Turning Point in late 2025, so her absence at one of the organization's biggest, most high-profile events of the new year is especially loud.

That said, she did try to wrangle support for the TPUSA halftime show. During an interview with Fox News, Erika, who recently went at least 24 days without attending a single MAGA event, revealed that Charlie, who was murdered in September 2025, would have approved of their Super Bowl efforts. "It's powerful because what Charlie always loved and knew is that he wanted to be in the forefront of the culture war," she said. "He would be fist-pumping to this. He would be so stoked. And what better way to honor him than to just get in the middle of this and be able to offer an alternative to families."

Erika also rather ambitiously claimed that, while she knows that there's an audience who wants to see the official Super Bowl halftime show, more people were looking forward to theirs. And while one can appreciate the confidence, her statement would have hit harder had she attended her own event. Though, with such an abysmal lineup, who can really blame her?

Donald Trump wasn't present at Turning Point USA's Super Bowl concert, but he was never listed as an attendee anyway. The president also made good on his previous promise to skip the Super Bowl, partially due to the involvement of Bad Bunny and Green Day. "I'm anti-them," he told the New York Post in January 2026. "I think it's a terrible choice. All it does is sow hatred. Terrible." He also complained about the distance of the event, which took place in Santa Clara, California. "It's just too far away. I would. I've [gotten] great hands [at] the Super Bowl. They like me," he continued. "I would go if, you know, it was a little bit shorter."

Of course, Trump still tuned into the game, and he took to Truth Social to go on a lengthy rant about Bad Bunny's performance. "The Super Bowl Halftime Show is absolutely terrible, one of the worst, EVER!" he posted to the platform. "It makes no sense, is an affront to the Greatness of America, and doesn't represent our standards of Success, Creativity, or Excellence." He continued, "Nobody understands a word this guy is saying, and the dancing is disgusting, especially for young children that are watching from throughout the U.S.A., and all over the World."