Erika Kirk shares a “call to action” for parents to stop political violence

Erika Kirk, the widow of Charlie Kirk, said it’s simple to “blame everyone else” for the recent spike in political violence, but she thinks parents are crucial in stopping it.

During a town hall with CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss, she stated, “We have to look in the mirror,” during a Turning Point USA event in Utah months after her husband Charlie Kirk was killed.

CBS will broadcast the discussion on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET. Erika Kirk advised parents to think about how they are raising their kids and discouraged them from becoming detached and giving them gadgets to occupy their time:

“How are you parenting your children as a mother and a father?Are you taking responsibility, or are you giving them a device and saying, ‘Go down that rabbit

So, my call to action from that is: Parents, step up,” she said. “Do you want your kid to be a thought leader or an assassin? That’s where we’re at.”

In 2025, figures across the political spectrum have been targeted, resulting in deaths, injuries, and numerous threats. About 85% of U.S. adults said this year that politically motivated violence is increasing, according to a recent Pew Research Center survey.

A CBS News poll released in October found 86% of Americans believe political violence is unacceptable — while 34% of college students believe that it is acceptable to use violence to stop someone from speaking on campus, according to a recent poll from the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression.

Like the majority of Americans, Erika Kirk stated that she “will never support political violence.”

Weiss asked Erika Kirk whether political leaders have a responsibility to turn down the temperature in order to break the cycle of political violence.

“Well, I think everyone has a responsibility to do that, and I’m doing my part,” Erika Kirk said. “I’m not in control of other people.”