A Secret Service source reportedly denied that any “credible threats” were discovered before Erika Kirk canceled a Turning Point USA appearance with Vice President JD Vance this week.
On Tuesday, April 14, Kirk, 37, announced shortly before an event at the University of Georgia that she would not attend an onstage discussion with Vance, 41, due to security concerns. An announcement was made during the show that Kirk and her team had received “some very serious threats” earlier in the day.
“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,” Kirk tweeted on Tuesday. “Thank you to our amazing Georgia chapter for your support. God bless you all!”
CBS News cited a Secret Service source on Thursday, April 16, in reporting that the agency was not aware of any “credible threats” to Kirk or the Turning Point USA event. The insider indicated that the University of Georgia venue was secure and there was no known concern for Vance’s safety.
Per the outlet, Vance was briefed that the event was safe and chose to carry on with his appearance. However, a Secret Service source clarified that Kirk or her team may have received “hostile or threatening messages” via social media that were not considered to be actionable by security agents on the ground.
Us Weekly has reached out to representatives for both Kirk and the Secret Service.
Conservative commentator Candace Owens — a frequent critic of Kirk — sparked an intense social media debate on Tuesday by suggesting the Turning Point USA CEO had ulterior motives for canceling her appearance with Vance.
“This is exhausting. You pulled out because of bad ticket sales. For the same reason TPFaith had to ‘reschedule’ the Pastor’s Summit and various other events quietly,” Owens, 36, tweeted at Kirk.
She went on, “People don’t believe you and don’t line up for you because you struggle to tell the truth about even the most basic facts. Where is the video of Charlie appointing you as CEO weeks before his death?”
Erika’s husband, conservative activist and Turning Point USA cofounder Charlie Kirk, was fatally shot while speaking at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, on September 10, 2025. He was 31.
Suspected shooter Tyler James Robinson was apprehended by police on September 11, 2025, and has since been charged with aggravated murder and additional felonies, including discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury, obstruction of justice, witness tampering and commission of a violent offense in the presence of a child. (Robinson, 22, has not yet entered a plea. Prosecutors are reportedly considering pursuing the death penalty if the case goes to trial.)
Turning Point USA is currently on a multi-date college tour that will include stops at Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, on Tuesday, April 21, and Baylor University in Waco, Texas, on Wednesday, April 22. Erika is not scheduled to appear at either of next week’s campus events.
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