Erika Kirk blasts Kimmel's 'cruel' joke about Trump's death, laments nation's 'epidemic of dehumanization'

Turning Point USA (TPUSA) CEO Erika Kirk said a "serious epidemic of dehumanization" was plaguing the country Wednesday, speaking after the attack at the White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) Dinner.

Kirk, unanimously elected the conservative group’s new CEO following the assassination last year of her husband Charlie Kirk, also criticized ABC late-night host Jimmy Kimmel and the journalism industry at large in an emotional monologue to open "The Charlie Kirk Show" on Wednesday. 

"We are all human beings, and if you can just pause and just take a minute and ask yourself, ‘How would you feel if, even just one person, made cruel jokes about the attempted murder of your loved one?’ That is what Jimmy Kimmel did to the first lady," she said, although Kimmel has said he was not making an assassination joke.

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"It seems to me that nothing will ever be enough for the evil in this world," she said at one point. "Our country has become unrecognizable; these people have perverted the truth to the point that they motivated the murder of my husband. 

"They have continuously tried to assassinate the president, and anyone who stands in their way is labeled ‘hateful,’ ‘racist,’ ‘fascist and every other trigger word that is grossly dishonest."

Kirk noted that a schoolteacher armed with a gun and other weapons tried to shoot up the WHCA Dinner on Saturday. 

"Of all people, a schoolteacher that attempted to change our history, for the worse, with bullets," Kirk said. 

"Everyone is asking why I even went to the White House Correspondents' Dinner, and it was because many of the journalists in that room have attempted to dehumanize me, and I wanted to meet some of them face to face," she continued. "Why have a conversation about me when you can have a conversation with me?"

Kirk, wearing all black and sitting beside the empty chair left vacant in honor of her late husband, praised the WHCA for giving the room an all-American feel that was apparent when she entered the ballroom. 

"Shortly thereafter, gunshots rang out, and total chaos ensued," she said. 

"If you were in that room, you had no way of knowing what the status of the shooter was, how many there were or honestly really anything. It was just utter chaos. And, so, during an active shooting, these journalists are using their phones to find moments to capture for clips.

"They were so concerned about getting a video in a room with an active shooter that they could have accidently and quite literally filmed themselves being shot," Kirk added. "Many of those people have become to desensitized that fight or flight became secondary to the opportunity of putting themselves into the story, which ironically breaks the No. 1 rule of journalism."  

Kirk expressed disgust at Cole Tomas Allen, the 31-year-old charged in the shooting. He is facing at least three counts, including attempting to assassinate the president of the United States, transporting a gun across state lines and discharging a gun during a crime of violence. 

"While we may have big problems with illegal immigration in this country, I have to tell you we have an even bigger problem when it comes to the systemic indoctrination and radicalization of our own citizens," Kirk said. 

"This is what got my husband killed. This is what has led to three legitimate attempts on President Trump’s life," she added. "I can speak firsthand to that unbearable toll that this must take on our first lady."

She said liberals have essentially shrugged off attempts to assassinate Trump and said some are even disappointed the attempts have each failed. 

Kirk has a history with Kimmel. The ABC host landed in hot water last year when he falsely suggested the suspect in Charlie Kirk's assassination was a MAGA supporter. He was suspended from the airwaves before returning, tearfully apologizing for the notion that he was trying to make light of the murder.

Last week, before Saturday's shooting, Kimmel joked that Melania Trump had the glow of an "expectant widow," which has since prompted Trump and the first lady to call for his firing. Kimmel has not apologized, repeatedly insisting he was merely joking about the president's age.

Erika Kirk was not amused.

"The ‘glow of an expectant widow,’ just 48 hours before that nightmare almost became a reality. In this culture we’re living in, [it] absorbs disagreement as a form of personal betrayal, it turns having an opposing viewpoint into a moral crime worthy of punishment," Kirk said. 

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"Here’s what I’ve realized through all of this, truly, having lived through quite literal hell these past seven months. If you strip someone of their humanity long enough, you will arrive at the chilling conclusion that they don’t deserve to exist at all," she continued. 

"Every morning, I wake up to a new headline lying about me… There is a serious epidemic of dehumanization plaguing this country. The most unthinkable tragedies have now become commonplace in our daily headlines, and yet the media finds a way to conveniently explain away violence.

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Kirk added, "This is what we’re up against," adding Americans can’t afford to ignore the problem. 

Earlier this month, Erika Kirk canceled a planned appearance at a TPUSA event at the University of Georgia after receiving what organizers described as "very serious threats."

Fox News Digital’s Greg Wehner contributed to this report.