{"id":93898,"date":"2025-09-13T05:27:59","date_gmt":"2025-09-13T05:27:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=93898"},"modified":"2025-09-13T05:27:59","modified_gmt":"2025-09-13T05:27:59","slug":"i-will-never-let-your-legacy-die-charlie-kirks-widow-gives-tearful-address-after-shooting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=93898","title":{"rendered":"\u2018I will never let your legacy die\u2019 \u2013 Charlie Kirk\u2019s widow gives tearful address after shooting"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Charlie Kirk\u2019s widow, Erika, has given a tearful address in which she thanked first responders for trying to save her husband\u2019s life after he was fatally shot on a Utah university campus.<\/p>\n

In a livestream, standing beside her husband\u2019s empty chair that he used during podcast tapings, she quoted the Bible and spoke about his love for President Donald Trump, Vice-President JD Vance, the United States and the couple\u2019s two children.<\/p>\n

Kirk, a right-wing activist, was shot dead on Wednesday during an open-air speaking event in Orem, Utah. His suspected killer, Tyler Robinson, was arrested on Thursday night after surrendering to police.<\/p>\n

In her remarks, Mrs Kirk pledged: \u201cMy husband\u2019s voice will remain.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"'I<\/figure>\n

The broadcast from Turning Point USA\u2019s headquarters in Arizona began with several minutes of silence, as the camera framed Charlie Kirk\u2019s empty chair.<\/p>\n

As his widow started speaking, she looked upwards and whispered a silent prayer.<\/p>\n

She then thanked first responders who tried to save him, her husband\u2019s staff, and the White House.<\/p>\n

\u201cMr President, my husband loved you. And he knew that you loved him too,\u201d she said tearfully, also thanking Vance and his wife Usha for accompanying the casket back to Arizona.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut most of all, Charlie loved his children. And he loved me. With all his heart. And he made sure I knew that everyday.\u201d<\/p>\n

Addressing \u201cevil-doers\u201d, Mrs Kirk said: \u201cYou 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey should all know this: if you thought that my husband\u2019s mission was powerful before you have no idea, you have no idea what you just have unleashed across this entire country and this world.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her husband\u2019s tour of US university campuses will continue throughout the autumn, and in the years to come, she said, without offering further details. His podcast will also continue.<\/p>\n

Mrs Kirk also spoke of their one-year-old son and three-year-old daughter, saying that she was at a loss for how to explain their father\u2019s sudden death.<\/p>\n

\u201cBaby, daddy loves you so much. Don\u2019t you worry. He\u2019s on a work trip with Jesus,\u201d she told their daughter.<\/p>\n

Mrs Kirk, 36, and their children were reportedly in the audience when her husband was shot.<\/p>\n

Erika Kirk is a businesswoman and former Miss Arizona USA winner, who met her husband in 2018. The couple were engaged by 2020 and wed less than a year later.<\/p>\n

She is currently studying for a doctorate in Bible studies, has launched a ministry programme and hosts the Midweek Rise Up podcast focused on Biblical leadership. Mrs Kirk also acts and models, and has a faith-based clothing line.<\/p>\n

Although the children and the couple\u2019s home life are regular fixtures on her social media pages, they never publish images showing their children\u2019s faces.<\/p>\n

Charlie Kirk, 31, a controversial figure in US political discourse, had been hailed by many as the future of American conservatism with a knack for energising young conservatives.<\/p>\n

By mobilising the youth vote, he was an instrumental organiser in Trump\u2019s Maga coalition and helped return him to the White House for a second term.<\/p>\n

Kirk was a strong supporter of gun rights, vehemently opposed abortion, was critical of transgender rights and promoted false claims about Covid-19.<\/p>\n

His views were polarising on the college campuses, where he held large events, and his provocative speeches would draw crowds of vocal opponents as well as fans.<\/p>\n

Kirk\u2019s supporters said he was relatable and understood their concerns. But his views drew fierce liberal criticism, with his detractors said his rhetoric hurt people \u2013 especially those in the LGBT community.<\/p>\n

Kirk was speaking at Utah Valley University during Turning Point USA\u2019s The American Comeback Tour, a speaking engagement that took him to several college campuses throughout the US.<\/p>\n

He was shot during his viral Prove Me Wrong debate while taking a question about gun violence and transgender people in the US.<\/p>\n

Trump has announced that he will award Kirk a posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom \u2013 the highest civilian honour a president can bestow \u2013 describing his friend and ally as a \u201cgiant of his generation and a champion of liberty\u201d.<\/p>\n

The US president said that Mrs Kirk \u201cis absolutely devastated\u201d.<\/p>\n

Turning Point USA, the organisation Charlie Kirk founded when he was 18 years old, also referred to its co-founder as a \u201cmartyr\u201d and \u201cpioneer\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cCharlie was the ideal husband and the perfect father. Above all else, we ask you to pray for the Kirks after the incomprehensible loss they have suffered,\u201d the organisation said in a statement to the BBC on Thursday.<\/p>\n

JD Vance flew to Salt Lake City, Utah, on Thursday to retrieve Kirk\u2019s casket and transport it to Phoenix, Arizona \u2013 where Kirk\u2019s family lives \u2013 on the vice-presidential aircraft, Air Force Two.<\/p>\n

Vance and Second Lady Usha Vance travelled with Kirk\u2019s family and some of his friends to Arizona.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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