A previously unreleased video reportedly shows late Charlie Kirk naming his wife, Erika Kirk, as his preferred successor just weeks before his assassination, according to a report published Thursday by the Daily Mail.
The footage was reportedly recorded during an exclusive donor retreat hosted by Turning Point USA in Aspen, Colorado, in August last year.
According to the report, roughly 200 donors attended the event, where Kirk participated in a question-and-answer session focused on the future of the organization following President Donald Trump’s reelection.
During the session, one donor asked Kirk about the group’s succession plan should “something happen” to him, prompting nervous laughter inside the room, according to attendees cited in the report.
“What a great question,” Kirk reportedly responded before discussing the importance of building a “vision-led” organization rather than one dependent entirely on a single founder.
“We have a great board and God forbid if something happens, they’ll figure it out. I appoint my wife to run Turning Point USA if something happens to me. Erika would do a great job,” Kirk said in the footage reviewed by the Daily Mail.
Three weeks later, Kirk, 31, was shot and killed during an appearance at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10, according to the report. Eight days after his death, Turning Point USA’s board unanimously voted to appoint Erika Kirk as the organization’s new chief executive officer.
The video itself has never been publicly released, a decision that has fueled criticism and conspiracy theories from some former allies and conservative commentators.
Former Turning Point communications director Candace Owens has repeatedly questioned the authenticity of audio clips from the Aspen event and demanded the organization publicly release the full footage.
Owens suggested on her podcast this week that portions of the recording sounded artificial and claimed releasing the footage could resolve questions surrounding Erika Kirk’s appointment as CEO, per the Daily Mail.
According to the report, Owens also alleged some donors present at the retreat did not recall Kirk publicly discussing succession plans involving his wife.
The Daily Mail said multiple donors and board members contradicted those claims and confirmed hearing Kirk discuss Erika Kirk as his preferred successor during the Aspen gathering.
Several Turning Point officials and allies also told the outlet the succession discussions had occurred repeatedly over the years as Kirk’s national profile and security concerns increased.
Turning Point board member Mike Miller told the Daily Mail he previously urged Kirk to establish both personal security protections and a formal succession plan after receiving death threats.
“I said, Charlie, ‘God forbid something happens, what do you recommend that we do?’ He said, ‘Erika is very bright, she can handle it,’” Miller recalled.
Donald Trump Jr. also told the Daily Mail that Kirk discussed the issue privately following the assassination attempt against President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Turning Point USA said it does not plan to publicly release the Aspen footage, citing longstanding privacy policies surrounding donor events and concerns about exposing attendees who participated in the gathering.
