News
March 10, 2026
Trump Appoints Erika Kirk to Air Force Academy Board
The widow of conservative leader Charlie Kirk has been appointed to the U.S. Air Force Academy’s Board of Visitors, the oversight body that monitors the academy’s morale, curriculum, and academic programs, NBC affiliate KOAA out of Colorado first reported.
According to the board’s website, Erika Kirk was quietly appointed over the weekend by President Donald Trump, nearly a year after Trump named her late husband to the same position.
Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, who chairs the board, told the outlet he encouraged the appointment months earlier and praised the move, calling Erika Kirk “the right person to fill Charlie’s place” and continue his work inspiring future service members.
Charlie Kirk, a conservative podcaster and co-founder of Turning Point USA, attended his first Board of Visitors meeting at the Air Force Academy in August 2025.
Weeks later, he was assassinated on Sept. 10 at Utah Valley University. After his death, Erika Kirk assumed leadership of Turning Point USA.
Her appointment comes as the board may soon weigh whether to recognize Charlie Kirk with an honorary degree or other posthumous recognition.
The Air Force Academy Association of Graduates previously considered recommending such honors but withdrew the proposals after backlash from critics who argued Charlie Kirk was politically divisive and lacked a military record.
The association recently voted to defer the question to the Board of Visitors, where Erika Kirk now holds a seat.
The Board of Visitors is a congressionally mandated advisory panel that reports to the secretaries of War and the Air Force. While it cannot impose changes at the academy, it provides recommendations on policy, curriculum, and overall conditions at the institution.
Charlie Kirk was one of the most prominent young conservative leaders aligned with Trump and the MAGA movement. As founder of Turning Point USA, he built a nationwide campus network promoting conservative politics and frequently appeared at Trump rallies and campaign events.
Nashville school clears record of Christian teacher who refused to read same-sex marriage book to first-grader
KIPP Antioch College Prep Elementary reversed course on Monday after receiving a letter from First Liberty Institute, the legal organization representing teacher Eric Rivera
A Nashville elementary school has agreed to clear the personnel record of a Christian first-grade teacher who was disciplined, reassigned, and threatened with termination after he declined to read a book about same-sex marriage to his young students.
It’s a straightforward win, and it shouldn’t have taken a legal threat to get there.
