Donald Trump has encouraged Erika Kirk to take legal action against those attacking her online after a divisive comedy skit appeared to target her.
Erika stepped into a leading role at Turning Point USA after the assassination of her husband, Charlie Kirk, in September last year.
Since then, she has traveled across the US on behalf of the conservative organization, but has also faced a surge of hostility on the internet in the months following her husband’s death.
Last week, comedian Druski posted a video to his social media in which he performed as a white woman with blond hair and blue eyes.
The clip spread rapidly, with many viewers speculating that the character was intended as a dig at Charlie Kirk’s widow.
In one segment, the “conservative woman” is shown holding a Bible while recording a podcast, and the skit also includes commentary about white men being the ones “who matter most”.
Erika attended an Easter-themed lunch at the White House on Wednesday, where President Trump appeared to notice her mid-remarks during one of his typically lengthy addresses.
After spotting her at the table, Trump suggested she should take her critics to court.
He said: “Hello, darling! Wow. There’s a good table. I like that table. You’re doing well, right? I think you should sue ‘em. I told her, ‘You oughta sue some of these’ — They’re so jealous of Erika. I said, ‘You oughta sue their —’ I can say it; you’re not allowed to say this; you have to be nicer. Sue their a** off.”
Erika also spoke to Fox News recently, where she addressed the backlash and the anger she says has been directed her way.
She said: “Call me what you want, go down that rabbit hole, whatever. But when you go after my family, my Turning Point USA family, my ‘Charlie Kirk Show’ family, when you go after the people that I love and you’re making hundreds and thousands of dollars every single episode going after the people that I love, because somehow they’re in on this? No.
“This is righteous anger, because this is not okay. It’s not healthy. This is a mind virus.”
Erika continued: “You know what I thought? I thought, these people are human, we’re all grieving in our own way, and they are trying to find the answer to something that happened that was so evil. They are trying so hard, and I get that. We’re doing the same.”
She added that she and members of the Turning Point USA team have faced death threats in recent months, saying the situation has left her feeling “exhausted”.
“Every time they bring this back up, what are we supposed to do? Relive that trauma all over again? They watched my husband get murdered,” she added.