Ever since the death of Charlie Kirk, his widow Erika Kirk and the Vice President JD Vance seem to have formed a close bond. The Political observers have found the dynamic a bit odd. 

On September 10, 2025, Conservative Political Activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated during a debate hosted by his Turning Point USA organization in Utah. Following her husband’s death, Erika has stepped into the limelight and taken over TPUSA as its new CEO. 

Back in October, Turning Point USA held an event to honor Charlie Kirk. Apart from Erika’s leather pants, what stole all the headlines was the cozy hug she shared with her husband’s close friend Vance, who also spoke at the event.

A slow-motion video of the hug has once again surfaced on the internet. In the clip, the two can be seen embracing each other with Erika touching the back of Vance’s head and the VP holding her back tightly with his arms before holding her hips. “I don’t care what anyone says, this is not how you hug your friend,” the narrator of the video said. 

The post sparked heated reactions on X. A user stated that when a woman runs her hands through a man’s hair, it’s usually a sign of love. “When a girl runs her hand through a persons’ hair, it usually indicates a romantic overture in most circles….” Another user wrote, “Lefties always reaching.” “Lust at first touch!!!!” tweeted a third user. 

While JD Vance and Erika Kirk have tried to defend the hug in the past, their responses only fueled more rumors. During an appearance on the Megyn Kelly Live tour, Kirk stated, “Whoever is hating on a hug … needs a hug themselves. My love language is touch, if you will.” Saying that her love language is touch did not help ease the rumors of a brewing romance between the two. 

Vance’s wife Usha Vance has also let her feelings known about the hug. Many had speculated that the hug caused a rift between the couple, as Usha was seen without her wedding band on two separate occasions with the First Lady Melania Trump. However, in an interview with USA Today, she made it clear that she is still standing by her husband’s side. “I find that one of the really curious things about this life is that people really like to read the tea leaves, and there’s a kind of an industry building stories about everything that they can imagine.” 

JD Vance also shared a similar approach to all the chatter about the hug. “I think that we kind of get a kick out of it,” he said during an interview with NBC News. “With anything in life, you take the good with the bad.” When asked about his marriage with Usha, the VP said, “It’s as strong as it’s ever been.”

As mentioned above, the viewers and internet users still don’t buy any of the explanations provided by both sides, and the speculation about the romance brewing between Vance and Kirk is far from over.