‘Absolute grifter’: Podcaster slams Erika Kirk for urging young NYC women to avoid govt support
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Progressive podcaster Jennifer Welch slammed Turning Point USA CEO Erika Kirk as a “grifter” during her ‘I’ve Had It’ podcast with co-host Angie Sullivan.
The remarks came after they played a clip of Erika advising New York career women to avoid relying on the government for support and instead focus on marriage and family.
Jennifer Welch calls Erika Kirk a 'grifter' amid debate over women’s rights
Welch criticized Erika Kirk for taking advantage of the Civil Rights movement, which enabled her to work full-time, while promoting submission to men.
“You are an opportunistic grifter who weaponizes your gender to demean women,” Welch said. “And, you are a walking, talking, breathing example as to why nobody, number one, wants to be a Christian, and number two, wants to be a female hypocrite such as yourself."
Welch declared, "Your language and organization makes women less safe all across the board.” She also called out Erika’s late husband, conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was shot and killed during an appearance in September 2025.
“Your deceased husband was an unrepentant racist and a homophobe. And women are a lot more empathetic than you are, Erika, so for you to prance into Manhattan and lecture women who are abundantly aware of the coattails of which we have ridden, to be able to be heard. You are so divorced from reality and you need to go back to the Turning Point bubble. Nobody’s picking up what you’re putting down, Erika,” Welch said.
Welch dubbed, “This woman should be kicked to the curb. She is an absolute grifter, just like Donald Trump and just like her unrepentant, racist, homophobic husband was.”
Co-host Angie Sullivan added, “maybe there’s more to life than identifying yourself as someone’s wife or someone’s mother.”
Erika Kirk links career ambition to shifting family priorities
Erika Kirk spoke at the 2025 DealBook Summit on Wednesday, December 3.
During the discussion, Kirk was asked for her reaction to Democrat Zohran Mamdani winning the New York City mayoral race on Tuesday, November 4.
She acknowledged that Mamdani managed to win over younger voters but noted that his views are completely opposite to those of her late husband, Charlie Kirk.
The Turning Point USA CEO and widow of late conservative activist Kirk shared her thoughts on career-focused women.
She said, “I loved this city,” and noted that "a high percentage of [Mamdani's] voters were female." Kirk added that in "a city like Manhattan, where you are so career-driven, and you almost look to the government as a form of replacement for certain things, relationship-wise, even, so you see things a little bit differently."
She said she hopes young women don’t rely on the "government as a solution to put off having a family or a marriage because you're relying on the government to support you instead of being united with a husband where you can support yourself and your husband can support and you guys can all combine together."
“But I just find it so ironic and so interesting that a heavy percentage of the individuals that voted for him were female,” she said.
