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Erika Kirk took her husband Charlie's death pretty hard ... she's recently revealed she stayed out of her own bedroom for weeks after he was shot.

Erika opened up about her personal life in a speech at the University of Mississippi Wednesday at an event for Turning Point USA, according to Fox News.

Erika told the crowd at Ole Miss she'd lost her "best friend" seven weeks ago when he was shot and killed at a speaking event held at Utah Valley University.

Reality TV is the perfect place for politicians to start -- at least that's how Chris Lambton, runner-up of "The Bachelorette" Season 6 feels ... 'cause he's now running to be a state rep!

TMZ caught up with Chris -- who competed on Ali Fedotowsky's season of the hit ABC series in 2010 -- and he says his time on the show, followed by his multiple gigs as an HGTV host, gave him some of the best preparation possible to be now running for a state rep spot in Massachusetts.

It makes total sense -- Chris says "The Bachelorette" taught him how to interview and think on the spot, while also giving him a fantastic platform ... while hosting gigs with HGTV allowed him to learn from all sorts of people around the states. That's just part of why Chris says reality TV completely prepared him to represent his family and friends on Massachusetts' Cape Cod -- it's all in the clip!

Vice President J.D. Vance has admitted he hopes his wife Usha will convert to Christianity.

He made the comments about his personal life in front of thousands of students during a Turning Point USA event held at the University of Mississippi on Wednesday night, AL.com reports from Alabama.

Vance's remarks were prompted when a student asked him about his wife's religion. He said Usha, who he married in 2014, was raised in a Hindu household, though her family is not very religiously observant.

Vance said he and his wife had always been open with each other about their opwn views, and he pointed out two of his three kids attended Christian schools before stating all three were being raised in his faith.

Vance said Usha often attends church with him, and he declared he'd like his wife to eventually convert to Christianity.

The VP acknowledged if she never got on board with Christianity, he'd be OK with it.

President Donald Trump must be glowing with excitement right about now ... because he just announced he has authorized the testing of nuclear weapons.

Trump revealed the vague plan by posting on Truth Social Wednesday night, hours before his meeting with Chinese president Xi Jinping in South Korea Thursday, claiming he'd authorized the testing to begin "immediately."

47 reasoned since other countries are testing their nukes, the USA should be able to as well. He offered no further details.

It looks like Donald Trump's being realistic about the prospect of a third term as U.S. president ... because he's finally admitted he wouldn't be able to run for another four years in office.

The business magnate-turned-politician confessed he'd eventually have to leave the White House while speaking to reporters on a flight to South Korea on Tuesday, according to NBC News.

47 seemed pretty bummed out about not being able to stick around as the POTUS in the future, saying the whole situation is "too bad."

He clarified he wouldn't be "allowed to run" in 2028 ... despite claiming he was polling higher than many recent presidents ... which is not quite accurate.

FYI, the Constitution's 22nd Amendment prohibits presidents from serving more than two terms in office, meaning Trump's going to be all tapped out at the end of his current term in January 2029.

The thing is, Trump publicly mulled over the idea of bucking the conditions set out in the 22nd Amendment -- without giving any specifics -- on a few occasions throughout his second time in office.

The Department of War is so insatiable for bombing vessels, they're now taking on four at a time ... and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth shared a video of the deadly foursome.

Hegseth posted the clip Tuesday morning ... explaining in the caption the strikes were carried out against four vessels operated by "Designated Terrorist Organizations" allegedly trafficking narcotics in the Pacific.

In the first clip, you can see what appears to be people moving about in two boats side-by-side when -- without warning -- they explode into a massive fireball. In subsequent clips, boats move at high speed across the water before becoming engulfed in fire from the bombings.

Riley Gaines has made a name for herself by being outspoken about her conservative beliefs ... and it looks like she's willing to put them to the test in a debate against Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

The collegiate swimmer-turned-activist appeared on "The Ingraham Angle" on Monday and publicly challenged the politician to go head-to-head -- with words, of course -- about a slew of hot-button issues they disagreed on sometime in the future, reports Fox News.

Gaines stated she'd be proud to defend capitalism and biblical values, and stated she'd allow AOC to "defend child sacrifice," likely in reference to the state rep's pro-choice beliefs, during their conversation.

President Trump's ad lib's are already, umm ... legendary, and his latest has him tossing some tongue-in-cheek shade at attractive people -- which would be quite the 180 for him.

DT told U.S. troops Tuesday in Japan, "I don't like good-looking people. I never liked good-looking people. I'll be honest with you. I've never admitted that before. But see, I'm allowed to -- we won at the Supreme Court thing based on merit. You know about that, right?"

POTUS then went on to talk about how everything in America is now based on merit and nothing else ... seemingly lumping good-looking people in with his fave acronym, DEI hires.

The improv moment made zero sense since it came after he said he saw so many good-looking people among the troops, but also said, "I look at you and I see nothing but merit."

Go figure!

President Donald Trump's apparently got a pretty clean bill of health ... because he just claimed his MRI results came out 'perfect.'

POTUS made the statement about his well-being aboard Air Force One on Monday, and he stated the MRI took place during a recent visit to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, according to CNN.

47 also claimed his doctors thought the results of the MRI were some of the best they'd ever seen for a guy his age. He also said his doctors had given reporters "very conclusive" information about the procedure.

However, Trump remained tight-lipped about the actual reason for the MRI, and told the reporters present to ask his doctors why he'd gone in for the procedure.

Plus, the White House hasn't offered any information about why POTUS headed to Walter Reed for the second time this year, as he had an annual check-up in April.

We should note Trump's health hasn't exactly been 100% this whole year, as he was diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency -- which is when valves in certain veins don't work and allow blood to pool up, according to the Mayo Clinic -- earlier this year.

Donald Trump isn't ruling out a third run for president ... and he's making it clear he has zero interest in being anyone's VP.

The prez spoke to reporters Monday aboard Air Force One en route to Japan ... when he was asked about Steve Bannon's recent comments, claiming there are plans for Trump to run and potentially win a third term in 2028.

Trump says "I would love to do it" when pressed about the potential presidential bid ... adding, "I have my best numbers ever."

Time Magazine has dropped a new version of its November 10 issue featuring President Donald Trump just weeks after the president criticized the original cover image.

The publication rolled out the updated edition, showcasing a more flattering portrait of Trump seated in the Oval Office with his hands clasped under his chin, beneath the headline "Trump's World."

The new photo replaces the earlier version, which showed Trump gazing upward into the sky under the caption "His Triumph."

President Trump touched down in Malaysia Saturday for the first leg of his trip to Asia — and his first order of business was showing off his dance moves to the locals!

After a 23-hour flight aboard Air Force One, Trump landed in Kuala Lumpur and stepped off the plane onto a red carpet to be greeted by Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and a welcoming band.

In classic Trump fashion, the prez pumped his fists and sashayed his hips, prompting Ibrahim and the others to follow suit. Everyone, as you can see from the video, was in great spirits.

If you're looking for a politically correct Halloween costume idea ... you ain't gonna find one with Kid Rock.

Check out this wild clip from the country crooner's chat with Fox News host Jesse Watters this week -- he puts on a face mask and tells Jesse he's going to be an 'R'-word for Halloween, insinuating that folks who wear masks are ... well, you get the idea.

Jesse immediately cracks up, and Kid Rock seems pleased to have put a smile on his face.

Kamala Harris isn't ruling out a presidential run.

The former VP says she could "possibly" be the next president in an interview set to air on BBC Sunday morning, teasing that she may throw her hat back in the ring in the future.

While she insists she has not yet decided if she's going to run for the presidency -- nor when that would be if she did jump in -- she confirms she's "not done" and brushes aside polls that say her chances are unfavorable.

Harvey Levin's new political movement, OWTA -- "Out With Their Asses" -- is gaining traction ... Congresswoman Maxine Waters encouraged him to continue pushing forward.

The Representative from California joined us on "TMZ Live" Friday and said she's also fed up -- and told us, "Keep saying it!"

Like millions of Americans, Harvey is sick of the government shutdown, and he proposes we threaten every congressional office with a primary election challenge to let them know ... if they're not able to work together competently enough to keep the government open, they need to find another line of work.

Hakeem Jeffries finally made up his mind about who should be the next mayor of New York City ... he just endorsed Zohran Mamdani.

The U.S. House of Representatives Democratic Minority Leader gave a statement to The New York Times Friday, saying he's impressed by the candidate's dedication to making the Big Apple a more affordable place.

Although Jeffries pointed out he and Mamdani had spots of "principled disagreement" between them, he said he's impressed by Mamdani's willingness to work with people from all political backgrounds.