Erika Kirk Speaks Out After Husband Charlie’s Assassination

The widow of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk has spoken publicly for the first time since her husband’s brutal assassination at Utah Valley University this week, vowing that his mission will not only continue but grow stronger than ever.

In a video statement, Erika Kirk directly addressed what she called the “evildoers responsible for my husband’s assassination,” declaring that their crime has only unleashed a greater force.

“The evildoers responsible for my husband’s assassination have no idea what they have done. They killed Charlie because he preached a message of patriotism, faith, and of God’s merciful love,” she said. “They should all know this: If you thought that my husband’s mission was powerful before, you have no idea. You have no idea what you just have unleashed across this entire country and this world.”

Fighting back tears but speaking with unmistakable determination, Erika vowed that her husband’s legacy will endure:

“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,” she said. “To everyone listening tonight across America, the movement my husband built will not die. It won’t. I refuse to let that happen. It will not die. 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. My husband’s mission will not end. Not even for a moment.”

Erika began her address, broadcast from Charlie’s own podcast studio at Turning Point USA headquarters in Phoenix, by thanking those who rushed to her husband’s side and those who pursued the killer.

“I first want to thank the local, state, and federal law enforcement who worked tirelessly to capture my husband’s assassin so that he can be brought to justice. I want to thank the first responders who struggled heroically, heroically, to save Charles’ life, and the police, who acted bravely to make sure that there were no other victims on that terrible afternoon,” she said.

She also praised President Donald J. Trump and Vice President JD Vance, both close allies of her late husband.

“I want to thank 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,” she said.

“I want to thank my husband’s dear friend, Vice President [JD] Vance, and his phenomenal wife, Usha, for their love and support,” she continued. Erika accompanied Charlie’s casket aboard Air Force Two on Thursday with the Vice President and Second Lady.

Charlie Kirk, 31, was assassinated Wednesday while delivering remarks at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. Authorities say 22-year-old Tyler Robinson fired a single shot from a high-powered rifle, striking Kirk in the neck and killing him. Robinson, who was arrested by the FBI on Friday, is expected to be charged with murder. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox revealed that investigators found bullet casings at the scene engraved with anti-fascist slogans, suggesting possible political radicalization.

The tragedy leaves behind Erika and the couple’s two young children — a 3-year-old daughter and a 1-year-old son.

Erika Kirk, née Frantzve, married Charlie on May 8, 2021. A former Miss Arizona USA (2012) and Regis University basketball player, she later graduated from Arizona State University with a double major before earning a Juris Master’s in American Legal Studies from Liberty University. Today, she hosts the Christian-themed podcast Midweek Rise Up.

In the hours after her husband’s death, Erika posted to X: “Psalm 46:1 – God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”

Charlie Kirk’s assassination marks one of the most devastating political crimes in recent American history — but if Erika’s words prove true, it will also ignite a movement more powerful than ever before.