A connection that predates Charlie Kirk
When Erika Kirk stood beside President Donald Trump at her husband’s memorial service this September, many saw a moment of shared grief and solidarity. Charlie Kirk, the conservative activist and Turning Point USA founder, had been assassinated just days earlier. His widow, only 36, became the new face of the movement he built, and Trump stood shoulder-to-shoulder with her as thousands gathered in Arizona to mourn.
But in the wake of that memorial, an old piece of history began resurfacing online — one that reveals a strange, even ironic link between Erika Kirk and Donald Trump that predates her marriage, her activism, and even her political prominence.
The resurfaced photos
It began with a tweet. A user on X (formerly Twitter) shared images of a much younger Erika — then known as Erika Frantzve — competing in the 2012 Miss USA pageant. The photos, which show her in swimsuits and evening gowns, quickly went viral, not because of the outfits but because of the event itself.
The Miss USA competition at that time wasn’t just any pageant. It was owned and operated through the Miss Universe Organization, co-owned by none other than Donald J. Trump.
“Oooooh,” the viral post read. “Erika Kirk competed in the 2012 Miss USA competition, which was owned by Trump. Her talent portion for the Miss Arizona contest was performing a dribbling exhibition with two balls. Her website still lists contact info to book her for modeling and acting.”
What had been forgotten by many — but suddenly remembered by the internet — was that before Erika was a political figure, she was a beauty queen. And in those years, Donald Trump was the pageant’s most powerful gatekeeper.
Trump’s deep involvement in Miss USA
Most casual observers remember Trump’s association with Miss Universe in passing, but insiders have long described how hands-on he was. From the 1990s until 2015, Trump co-owned the Miss Universe Organization, which also oversaw Miss USA and Miss Teen USA.
Contestants from those years have spoken openly about how the future president would sometimes hand-pick finalists or weigh in with personal comments about their appearances. According to The New Yorker, preliminary judges acknowledged Trump’s influence in deciding who advanced.
So when Erika won Miss Arizona USA in late 2011, securing her spot in the 2012 Miss USA pageant, she was stepping directly into a competition where Trump had enormous sway. Whether she interacted with him personally remains unclear. But the possibility — and the imagery of Trump at the center of an event that launched Erika’s public life — has set the internet buzzing.
Donald Trump and Erika Kirk are linked (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Erika’s pageant years
For Erika, the crown was about more than glamour. In interviews at the time, she framed the pageant circuit as a platform for service. Her charitable initiative, “Everyday Heroes Like You,” focused on Christian-based community work.
“What really matters is making a difference, and I want to change the world,” she told AZ Foothills shortly before the Miss USA competition. “The bling is just a bonus.”
Still, the competition spotlighted her in ways that would echo years later. One of her most memorable moments came when she performed a basketball dribbling routine as her talent showcase — a quirky, athletic performance that stood out among the more traditional singing and dancing. Judges were impressed enough to crown her Miss Arizona USA, placing her firmly on the national stage.
A family connection, too?
As if Erika’s Miss USA history weren’t enough of a Trump tie, internet sleuths added another wrinkle. Some pointed out that her father had allegedly worked on construction projects linked to Trump Tower. While the exact extent of that involvement remains unverified, the rumor alone added fuel to speculation about just how intertwined Erika’s world may have been with Trump’s long before she became his political ally by marriage.
If true, it would mean that both Erika’s early public career and her family background intersected with Trump’s empire in different ways — years before Charlie Kirk ever appeared on the scene.
From pageants to politics
What makes the rediscovery of Erika’s Trump ties so compelling is the arc of her life since. After the pageant years, she shifted toward entrepreneurship, podcasting, and faith-based work. By the time she met Charlie Kirk, her focus had moved decisively toward Christian activism and conservative politics.
Her marriage to Charlie in 2021 positioned her as part of one of the right’s most prominent young couples. Together, they became fixtures at rallies, Turning Point USA events, and on conservative media platforms.
Now, in the aftermath of tragedy, Erika has assumed a leadership role as CEO of Turning Point USA. That she once competed in a Trump-owned pageant adds a curious full-circle quality: the young woman who once stood on a Miss USA stage under Trump’s ownership is now standing beside him at political memorials.
The irony of timing
The timing of this rediscovery is part of why it has captivated social media. Erika’s life has been thrust into the spotlight after her husband’s assassination, with millions of Americans watching her every move, from her speeches at the memorial to her gestures of forgiveness toward the alleged shooter.
That audiences would stumble upon bikini-clad photos of her 20-something self at a Trump-run pageant — right as she embraces political leadership alongside Trump — feels like one of those coincidences almost too strange to script.
The juxtaposition has fueled a mix of fascination, humor, and criticism online. Some see it as evidence of how tightly knit political and cultural elites are, with paths crossing long before the public notices. Others frame it as a quirky footnote: a reminder that many public figures have unexpected chapters in their pasts.
Erika’s secret revealed
At her husband’s memorial, Erika herself hinted at secrets she had kept — albeit smaller, more personal ones. In a moving moment, she told the crowd she had never told Charlie about the single gray hair she spotted on the side of his head. “Now he knows,” she said softly.
The resurfacing of her Miss USA days has been treated online as another kind of “secret,” though of course one that was always public record. In an age where everything can be rediscovered, reframed, and repurposed, those old photos have taken on new symbolic meaning.
Trump and Erika: then and now
Fast forward to 2025: Erika is a widow, a mother of two, and a newly appointed CEO of a major conservative organization. Trump is the sitting president, once again the most polarizing figure in American politics. And the two are now united not just by Charlie Kirk’s political movement but by history itself.
Whether or not Trump ever personally noticed Erika on a Miss USA stage in 2012, he certainly notices her now. Their embrace at the Arizona memorial was broadcast worldwide. Their shared bond over Charlie’s legacy cements a relationship that is both political and deeply personal.
The internet reacts
The online response to the rediscovered Trump connection has ranged from shock to amusement.
“Wait, Erika Kirk was literally in a Trump-owned pageant? That’s wild,” one user wrote.
Another joked, “Plot twist: Trump has known Erika longer than Charlie did.”
A third added: “Between the pageants and her dad’s construction ties, this feels like a destined alliance.”
For Erika herself, the chatter is likely just background noise. Her focus, by her own words, is on continuing Charlie’s mission and raising their two children. Still, the resurfaced images serve as a reminder of how unpredictable life’s pathways can be — and how tightly intertwined the worlds of politics, business, and culture often are.
Conclusion: a strange symmetry
What makes this revelation resonate is not scandal but symmetry. A young woman chasing a dream on a Trump-owned stage more than a decade ago is now standing alongside Trump as a political partner in grief. The connection, while not conspiratorial, is undeniably strange — and for many, strangely fitting.
As Erika Kirk steps into the role of continuing her husband’s work, the resurfaced pageant photos add a new layer to her public identity: one that stretches from sequined gowns under bright lights to the solemn stage of a memorial beside a president.
In a way, it underscores the unpredictable arcs of American public life. Yesterday’s pageant contestant can become today’s political leader. And the links that once seemed trivial — a competition, a construction project, a fleeting handshake — can resurface years later as reminders of just how small, and interconnected, these worlds really are.
