By Admin 
An emotional tribute at a Turning Point USA event in the US suddenly turned into one of the most talked-about political events of the year. Vice President JD Vance and Erica Kirk hugged each other during this event held at Mississippi University. The video of this incident quickly went viral and the market for discussions also became heated.
What happened in the program?
At the event held on October 29, Erica Kirk called Vance on stage with an emotional speech. She is the wife of the late Conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Apart from this, Erica is now also the new CEO of Turning Point USA. She requested to call Vance and said that she felt as if her husband Charlie Kirk was motivating her to move forward. As soon as Vance came on stage, instead of a simple greeting, the two hugged each other for a long time, the photo and video of which went viral on social media. The pictures showed that Vance hugged Erica tightly and Erica gently placed her hand on the back of his head.
Speculation increased on social media
Some users criticized this greeting as ‘too personal’. Many comments raised questions about whether it was appropriate to hug a married man like this.
#ErikaAndJD hashtag started trending on X. Some people even called it ‘the biggest scandal in MAGA circles’. The controversy increased because before the hug, Erica had said – ‘No one can take the place of my husband, but I see some glimpse of my husband in Vice President Vance.’ This statement further fueled the rumours.
Erika Kirk: “No one will ever replace my husband, but I do see some similarities of my husband in JD”pic.twitter.com/Gm4PHz4D3c
— Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) October 31, 2025
Vance’s wife was also present amid the controversy
Interestingly, JD Vance’s wife Usha Chilukuri Vance was also present in the program. Later in his speech, Vance talked about his interfaith marriage and his religious beliefs. Despite this, neither Vance nor Erica have reacted to the viral hug.
From tribute to controversy – how the whole atmosphere changed
The event was originally organized in memory of Charlie Kirk, who was murdered the same year. Erica’s emotional address was initially seen as a sensitive tribute, but within hours social media changed its entire meaning. Many users jokingly started creating political theories, while some accused Erica of ‘moving too quickly’. Whereas some people called it just a human sentiment.