“You have no idea the fire you have ignited within this wife. The cries of this widow will echo around the world like a battle cry” – Erika Kirk
In a moving and emotional, but determined and passionate address to the nation on Friday, Charlie Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, vowed to make Turning Point USA “the biggest thing this nation has ever seen,” and made crystal clear that her husband’s voice will never be silenced in the wake of his assassination.
“The evil doers responsible for my husband’s assassination have no idea what they have done,” she said. “They killed Charlie because he preached a message of patriotism, faith, and of God’s merciful love. They should all know this. If you thought that my husband’s mission was powerful before, you have no idea. You have no idea just what you have unleashed across this entire country and this world.”
“The movement my husband built will not die. It won’t. I refuse to let that happen. All of us will refuse to let that happen. No one will ever forget my husband’s name, and I will make sure of it. It will become stronger, bolder, louder, and greater than ever.”
Alternately breaking down and sounding determined and focused, Erika Kirk recounted how the couple’s 3-year-old daughter asked, “Where’s daddy?”
“What do you tell a 3-year-old? I said, ‘Daddy loves you so much; he’s on a work trip with Jesus.'”
“I will make Turning Point USA the biggest thing this nation has ever seen. Charlie, I love you,” she said.
— Turning Point USA (@TPUSA) September 13, 2025
Her video statement comes as authorities confirmed the identity of the accused gunman, Tyler Robinson, 22, of Utah. Authorities said in a news conference that he had expressed anger over Kirk’s viewpoints.
Erika Kirk started her speech by thanking the first responders “who struggled heroically, heroically, to save Charles’s life. And the police who acted bravely to make sure there were no other victims on that terrible afternoon.” She thanked her husband’s staff, Vice President J.D. Vance and his wife, and the “millions of people who have shown their love for Charlie.”
Erika also thanked “President Trump and his incredible family for the same. Mr. President, my husband loved you, and he knew that you loved him, too. He did. Your friendship was amazing.”
“Two days ago, my husband Charlie went to see the face of his savior and his God,” she said. “Charlie always said that when he was gone, he wanted to be remembered for his courage and for his faith…Now and for all eternity, he will stand at his savior’s side, wearing the glorious crown of a martyr.”
“Charlie loved life, he loved his life, he loved America, he loved nature,” Erika said. “Most of all, Charlie loved his children, and he loved me with all of his heart, and I knew that. Every day I knew that. Every day he would ask me, How can I serve you better?’ Every day. He was such a good man. He was the perfect father; he was the perfect husband.”
She said he wanted other people to experience “the love and joy that comes through raising a family.”
She said that Charlie “privately told me if he ever did run for office that his top priority would be to revive the American family.”
“My husband laid down his life for me, for our nation, for our children… I will never have the words to describe the loss that I feel in my heart. I have no idea what any of this means. I know that God does. Our world is filled with evil, but our God is so good. So incredibly good. I have seen the worldwide outpouring of love.”
Erika added that one of Charlie Kirk’s mottos was “never surrender.”
“Our campus tour this fall will continue,” she said.
“There will be even more tours in the world to come.”
“America Fest in Phoenix will go on; it will be greater than ever.”
“The radio and podcast show that he was so proud of, will go on.”
“My husband’s voice will remain, and it will ring out louder and more clearly than ever.”
She said that Kirk “would call you to be people of action who earn the future America deserves.”
She urged young people in high school or college to “go find your local Turning Point USA chapter, join it. Stay involved… If there isn’t a chapter, start one…If you aren’t a member of a church, I beg you to join one.”
“Our battle is not only a political one. It’s spiritual.”
