In March 2026, President Trump appointed Erika Kirk, widow of conservative activist Charlie Kirk and now CEO of Turning Point USA, to the U.S. Air Force Academy's Board of Visitors, filling the seat her husband held before his assassination. There was no formal announcement; her name appeared on the academy's website. Asked about the appointment, the White House praised Charlie Kirk's “bold Christian faith, defense of the truth, and deep love of country” and said Erika Kirk would “continue his legacy.” Critics said the statement treated religion as a qualification for the role. Like her husband, she has no prior military service or ties to the academy.
Minutes from the board's December 2025 meeting, reviewed by The Intercept, show academy leaders briefing the board on removing DEI elements from admissions and reviewing curriculum and academy facilities for compliance with presidential executive orders. The academy established four task forces to ensure compliance with the administration's “Restoring America's Fighting Force” plan; one found that “diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) elements have been removed” from admissions.
Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-president of the Freedom From Religion Foundation, said: “The appointment of Erika Kirk to the U.S. Air Force Academy Board of Visitors goes hand in hand with Christian nationalist incursions into our armed forces.” Retired Air Force Lt. Col. Rachel VanLandingham, an academy graduate and former instructor, said: “They are interested in turning the military into a Christian nationalist praetorian guard.”
The academy has a documented history of religious pressure: in 2005 the Air Force launched a major investigation after cadets reported pressure to attend chapel services and adopt evangelical Christian beliefs, and a 2010 survey found that 41 percent of non-Christian cadets had experienced unwanted religious proselytizing at least once or twice in a year. Of the board's 14 currently filled seats, 10 are held by members of Congress: seven Republicans and three Democrats, compared with five Democrats and three Republicans in December 2022.
Correction (October 14, 2026): This entry's headline and summary previously said the White House cited Charlie Kirk's “bold Christian faith” as a qualification for his widow's appointment; the White House statement praised his faith and said she would continue his legacy, and it was critics who said this treated religion as a qualification. The entry also said the 2005 investigation “found” pressure on cadets; the Air Force opened that investigation after cadets reported pressure. A quotation from Rachel VanLandingham has been corrected to her exact words, and the appointment date now reflects that it was confirmed on March 10. Citations to Intercept, Fox News, Military.com, Stars and Stripes, Breitbart and The Hill articles that do not exist, and an unverifiable Christian Post link, were removed; the Intercept's actual article was added.