Erika Kirk Downplays Her Infamous Hug With J.D. Vance

Erika Kirk's hug with J.D. Vance at a Turning Point USA event in October raised eyebrows ... but she's downplaying the whole thing.

FYI ... the Vice President and Charlie Kirk's widow hugged it out before she introduced him to the crowd, and she placed her hand on the back of his head -- and he put his hand on her waist for a hot second.

Their interaction set off a huge reaction online, with many people pointing out Erika only lost her husband a few weeks earlier.

But during an interview with Megyn Kelly on Saturday, Erika chalked the whole thing up to her hugging M.O. ... saying she always touches the back of whoever she's hugging, and always says "God bless you."

Erika described herself as an "intense hugger," and said touch is her "love language."

Megyn pointed out people reacted as if Erika had grabbed Vance's butt ... Erika joked she probably would've caught less heat if she had!