Trump embraces Erika Kirk in touching moment as he speaks at Turning Point rally… just days after she skipped event with JD Vance

President Donald Trump greeted Erika Kirk by kissing her on the cheek and squeezing her She’s on the Arizona stage, days after skipping an event with Vice President J.D. Vance.

Trump headlined the Turning Point USA ‘Build the Red Wall’ rally on Friday afternoon at Dream City Church in Phoenix, Arizona, where the late Charlie Kirk’s organization is headquartered.

Erika Kirk decided not to attend an event with Vice President JD Vance earlier this week, citing safety concerns following the brutal murder of her husband.

Trump mentioned Charlie Kirk at the beginning of his speech, where he listed the achievements of his administration before the important November midterms.

‘Charlie was killed by a cruel and vicious assassin who believed he could kill a giant movement by silencing his voice,’ the president said.

‘But as we stand here today we see clearly that Charlie’s voice has not been silenced. It roars. And frankly, we’re roaring back louder than ever before,” Trump added.

Kirk mentioned her late husband when introducing Trump, but also noted the latest Democratic scandal, the downfall of California Rep. Eric Swalwell.

He implored the crowd to keep Arizona, which recently elected a Democratic governor and two Democratic senators, from turning into bright blue California.

President Donald Trump speaks at the Milestone US ‘Building the Red Wall’ event held Friday at Dream City Church in Phoenix, Arizona

Swalwell abandoned his bid for governor and resigned from Congress after allegations of rape and other sexual harassment were leveled against him.

He denied the rape allegations but publicly apologized to his wife for his misdeeds.

“We don’t want Arizona to elect people like Eric Swalwell,” Kirk said. ‘His best friend Ruben Gallego is here. So we’ve got some work to do.’

Gallego, a former House colleague of Swalwell, was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2024 over Trump ally Kari Lake.

Earlier this week, Charlie Kirk’s widow pulled out of the Turning Point USA event in Georgia that Vance was headlining.

“I know you’ve received some threats,” Vance said on stage at the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia. ‘I was a little worried that we would have to cancel the event because Erika wasn’t coming and she was very worried about that too.’

Vance stated that he spoke with the Secret Service and that he was not concerned for his safety.

Erika Kirk introduces President Donald Trump at a Turning Point at the USA’s “Build the Red Wall” rally held at Dream City Church in Phoenix, Arizona on Friday afternoon

President Donald Trump appears for a landmark ‘Build the Red Wall’ rally at Dream City Church in Phoenix, Arizona, on Friday

Charlie Kirk was assassinated in broad daylight while speaking at a Turning Point USA event on the Utah Valley University campus in September; This was a shocking moment of political violence in the United States.

The incident has thrust the 37-year-old widow into political prominence, with the Daily Mail reporting earlier this week that Kirk is now feeling the pressure of being in the spotlight. This influenced the decision to cancel Vance.

She attended Donald Trump Jr’s fiancée Bettina Anderson’s bridal party over the weekend, reports the Daily Mail. DC Insider newsletter He reported specific details, including the President calling the event to wish the happy couple well.

“Everyone was really happy to see Erika Kirk and rally around her during her difficult time,” one shower guest, who declined to give her name, told the Daily Mail.

Trump’s stop in Phoenix marks his second on a tour that includes Nevada and Arizona, two key states seeking to bolster Republicans’ economic messages ahead of November’s midterm elections.

During the Arizona incident, Trump complained about what could be an impending bombardment.

He lamented that the incumbent party traditionally loses Congress seats in midterm elections.

‘It doesn’t make sense,’ he complained. ‘Even if you have a President who does a good job.’

In a speech in Phoenix, Arizona, on Friday afternoon, President Donald Trump lamented the possibility of an attack on the Republican Party in the upcoming midterm elections.

‘It should be the other way around, we are doing well, we are doing our job, we are ending the wars,’ he said.

He said that the Iran war, which he started with Israel, should be concluded as soon as possible, implying that a peace agreement was close.

‘Wait until you see prices drop. Did you see oil falling today?’ he asked the crowd.

On Thursday afternoon, Trump spoke in Las Vegas about the “no tax on tips” policy included in the “big, beautiful bill.”

There, he thought the White House staff’s attempt to tout the policy with McDonald’s DoorDash delivery to the Oval Office was “tacky.”

‘You know, they’re coming up with these crazy ideas… They’re kind of embarrassing,’ he told the crowd.