Erika Kirk withdrawal from TPUSA event raises campus security concerns
Turning Point USA spokesperson Andrew Kolvet discusses threats facing Erika Kirk and broader security concerns at campus events on ‘America’s Newsroom.’
Turning Point USA spokesperson Andrew Kolvet described the moment that threats forced Erika Kirk to pull out of a University of Georgia event, calling the situation "a really unfortunate experience."
"To see the security team tell us, 'We cannot guarantee your safety, we recommend that you don't do this,' was a really chilling moment for all of us to kind of have to internalize and experience and realize that Erika Kirk['s] children are one parent away from being orphans," Kolvet said Wednesday.
"And sometimes you just have to say, 'Listen, what's most important is your safety, is your security and your children, your family. Let your team handle this. Let us do what we can do."
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Erika Kirk, widow of late right-wing political activist Charlie Kirk, speaks at Turning Point USA's annual AmericaFest conference in Phoenix, Arizona, on Dec. 18, 2025. (Olivier Touron/AFP)
Kirk was scheduled to appear alongside Vice President JD Vance at the Turning Point USA event in Athens, Georgia, on Tuesday, but ultimately withdrew following the threats.
Kolvet sat alongside Vance at the event, standing in for Kirk.
While "horrified" by the development, Kolvet said he was "honored" to "stand in and pinch hit."
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Andrew Kolvet, producer of "The Charlie Kirk Show," speaks during the public memorial service for Charlie Kirk at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, on Sept. 21, 2025. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP)
"I think it's the first time that we've ever had to make that decision in Turning Point history," he said.
"But everything that happened with Charlie, obviously his assassination, we're still grieving that, and you saw what happened with Savanah Hernandez, one of our TPUSA Frontlines reporters in Minneapolis," he added, referring to an attack on Hernandez earlier this week.
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Kolvet said the recent incidents have heightened security concerns for the organization, emphasizing the need to prioritize safety amid what he described as an increasingly volatile environment.
Kirk addressed her absence in a post on X, writing: "I was so looking forward to tonight’s event at the @universityofga with our Vice President @JDVance, but after all our family has been through, I take my security team’s recommendations extremely seriously. Thank you to our amazing Georgia chapter for your support. God bless you all!"
Fox News Digital's Greg Wehner contributed to this report.
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