‘Won’t let your legacy die’: Charlie Kirk’s wife in first address after his assassination

Charlie Kirk, a conservative activist and close ally of President Donald Trump, was shot dead at an event at Utah Valley University in Orem on Wednesday. Days later, Erika Kirk, the wife of the slain conservative commentator, delivered her first public remarks, vowing not to “let his legacy die”.In her first public message, she said, “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.”

Addressing her husband’s supporters and the nation as a whole, Erika stated that she would continue her husband’s political activism through his Turning Point USA organisation.

Addressing her late husband, she said, “Charlie, baby. Charlie, I promise, I will never let your legacy die. I won’t. I’ll make TPUSA the biggest thing this nation has ever seen. I promise. Charlie, I love you. I love you, baby. Rest in the arms of our lord.”
“To everyone listening tonight across America, 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,” she was quoted as saying by ABC News.Speaking from the office where Charlie Kirk hosted his podcast, Erika mentioned how much Charlie ‘loved’ the president and how much Trump ‘loved’ him. “Mr. President, my husband loved you, and he knew that you loved him, too. He did. Your friendship was amazing. You supported him so well, as did he for you,” she added.

“Now and for all eternity, he will stand at His Saviour’s side, wearing the glorious crown of a martyr. Charlie loved, loved life. He loved his life. He loved America,” she remarked, reported Fox News.

“When I got home last night, our daughter just ran into my arms … and she said, ‘Mommy, I missed you.’ I said, ‘I missed you too, baby.’ She goes, ‘Where’s daddy?’ What do you tell a 3-year-old? She’s three. I said, ‘Baby, daddy loves you so much. Don’t you worry. He’s on a work trip with Jesus so he can afford your blueberry budget,” Erika added.

Charlie is survived by his wife and two young children – a one-year-old son and a three-year-old daughter. He co-founded Turning Point USA in 2012, around six years before meeting Erika in 2018. Charlie, 31, was tragically shot in the neck with a weapon fired from a rooftop during the gathering at Orem University.

The President announced Kirk’s death in a post on Truth Social, writing, “The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead.” The suspect in the shooting has been captured. According to Utah Governor Spencer J Cox, the man has been identified as Tyler Robinson, a 22-year-old from Utah.