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Erika Kirk claps back at NY Times for ‘misrepresenting’ her views on marriage and kids, ‘On your death bed…’
Erika Kirk criticized a NY Times op-ed for misrepresenting her views on marriage and family, emphasizing that financial success does not equate to fulfillment.
Erika Kirk, the widow of Charlie Kirk and the leader of Turning Point USA, reacted to a New York Times newsletter on X on Friday, claiming that it failed to grasp the essential issues surrounding marriage and children.
"This @nytimes op-ed completely misses the point on the purpose of marriage and children and completely misrepresents my views in the process. The entire article is laced with viewing family through the lens of money and career as if those things bring fulfillment and purpose," Kirk wrote.
"When you’re on your death bed, your money and your career won’t be whispering in your ear 'I love you' as you take your last breath. The material goods and fortune of this world mean nothing when we go to our eternal resting place."
NYT journalist's Jessica Grose cites Erika Kirk's remarks in her article
Jessica Grose, an opinion writer for the New York Times, authored the article titled "The Gap Between the Families We Have and the Ones Conservatives Want," in which she referenced Kirk's remarks made during the commencement ceremony at Hillsdale College in May.
According to Grose, Kirk mentioned that if her late husband were still alive, he would have advocated for young marriages.
Grose further noted that Charlie would have advised, "Have more kids than you can afford" She highlighted the criticism directed at Kirk's comments, which arose in light of rising gas and grocery prices.
"Kirk pitches her message as countercultural, and in a sense, it is. A 21-year-old married speaker at Turning Point’s Women’s Leadership Summit in June said she was going against the culture by proclaiming her husband as the head of her household and feminism as a 'psyop.' But a young marriage isn’t what most Americans want," Grose wrote.
Erika Kirk defends her views on marriage and kids
Kirk mentioned in her post that the author "conveniently leaves out the part of my Hillsdale commencement speech where I said "marry young, not rushed, but young."
"Encouraging more Americans to have families doesn’t have to involve a stubborn, unwanted return to a patriarchal, midcen2tury Christian idea of marriage," Grose argued. "By casting the ideal 21st-century relationship in antiquated terms, conservatives are ignoring the glaring reality of how Americans actually want to live and are living their lives."
Kirk stated in her reply that individuals should not delay having children.
"We serve a God of order and when you live a life ordered there’s a double portion of grace. Meaning marriage first, then kids, and everything else. Timing matters because life is shorter than you might think, and you never know what could happen. The point is, don’t put it off. Don’t rush it or force it if it’s not right, but don’t put it off," Kirk wrote in her response to Grose's piece.
Kirk entered into marriage with her husband in 2021 when she was 32 years old, while Charlie Kirk was 27. She did not consider this age difference to be too significant; however, she expressed a desire that they had met earlier to begin their family sooner.
"There is no such thing as perfect timing to have kids. Financial struggles are a part of life, but the problem is a lot of Americans are self-surviving, not self-sacrificing, and they expect to live a very distinct lifestyle based on what they see online. When Charlie encouraged young people to have more kids than they can afford, he wasn’t saying to recklessly bring a child into this world and have them on welfare. He was saying children aren’t a luxury item to have once you meet a certain tax bracket threshold. You don’t need a mansion in order to build a family," she said.
