‘I just want to go home’: Erika Kirk seen crying after shots fired at White House dinner

Turning Point USA CEO Erika Kirk was reportedly seen crying backstage after shots rang out at the White House Correspondents’ dinner on Saturday night.

Fox News reported that Kirk was running in the backstage area and wiping tears.

“I just want to go home,” Kirk said, according to the report, which noted she was safely escorted out of the event.

Erika Kirk is Charlie Kirk’s widow. Her husband, who founded Turning Point USA, was assassinated in September 2025 while speaking at Utah Valley University.

In mid-April, Kirk opted not to attend a Turning Point USA event alongside Vice President JD Vance at the University of Georgia because she received threats ahead of the gathering.

“She was very worried about it,” Vance previously said.

“I talked to the Secret Service, and obviously these guys do a very good job, and I said, ‘You know what? Let’s let Erika do what she needs to do for herself and her family,'” he added, with the Secret Service later confirming that the threats were not credible.

Vance, as well as President Donald Trump and several members of the Trump administration, were safely evacuated from the White House Correspondents’ dinner after shots were fired.

Trump said the suspected shooter, identified as a 30-year-old man, was arrested. He also shared photos of the arrest on Truth Social, referencing the multiple assassination attempts against him during the last few years.

“This is not the first time in the past couple of years that our Republic has been attacked by a would-be assassin who sought to kill,” Trump said during a news conference. “In light of this evening’s events, I ask that all Americans recommit with their hearts in resolving our differences peacefully.”

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