Widow of Charlie Kirk Thanks Responders and Vows to Continue His Mission

PHOENIX, ARIZONA — The widow of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk gave a tearful address to thank first responders who tried to save her husband’s life following his fatal shooting on a university campus.

In a livestreamed message, Erika Kirk stood beside the empty chair her husband used for his podcast tapings. She spoke about his love for President Donald Trump, Vice-President JD Vance, the United States, and the couple’s two children.

Charlie Kirk, 31, was shot and killed on Wednesday during an open-air speaking event at a Utah university in Orem. The suspected killer, Tyler Robinson, was arrested on Thursday night after he surrendered to police.

Mrs. Kirk, 36, pledged that “my husband’s voice will remain,” telling the audience that his mission would continue. She said his campus tour would resume throughout the autumn and his podcast would also carry on.

The broadcast from the Turning Point USA headquarters in Arizona began with several minutes of silence, focusing on Kirk’s empty chair. Mrs. Kirk began by looking upward and offering a silent prayer before thanking first responders, her husband’s staff, and the White House.

“Mr President, my husband loved you. And he knew that you loved him too,” she said tearfully, also thanking Mr. Vance and his wife Usha for accompanying her on the flight that carried her husband’s casket back to Arizona.

“But most of all, Charlie loved his children. And he loved me. With all his heart. And he made sure I knew that every day,” she said.

In a later Instagram post, Mrs. Kirk shared videos and photos of herself with her husband’s casket, including one of her kissing his hand. Addressing “evil-doers,” she told the livestream, “You have no idea the fire that you have ignited within this wife, the cries of this widow will echo around the world like a battle cry.”

Mrs. Kirk also spoke of their children, a one-year-old son and a three-year-old daughter, and her struggle to explain their father’s death. She said she had told their daughter, “Baby, daddy loves you so much. Don’t you worry. He’s on a work trip with Jesus.”

Erika Kirk, a businesswoman and former Miss Arizona USA winner, met her husband in 2018. She is also a doctoral student in Bible studies, runs a ministry programme, and hosts her own podcast.