Erika Kirk forgives husband’s killer in memorial message: ‘It’s what Charlie would do’
Erika Kirk, wife of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, surprised mourners at Sunday’s memorial by forgiving the man who killed her husband, delivering a message of faith and reconciliation that resonated throughout the stadium.
President Donald Trump, left, stands with Erika Kirk at the conclusion of a memorial for her husband, conservative activist Charlie Kirk, Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. (AP)
“I forgive him,” she said, adding, “I forgive him because it was what Christ did, and it’s what Charlie would do.”
Recently appointed as CEO of Turning Point USA, Erika Kirk vowed to continue the campus events and debates her late husband, Charlie Kirk, used to inspire young conservatives and challenge liberal ideas.
“Everything that Turning Point USA built through Charlie’s vision and hard work, we will make ten times greater through the power of his memory,” she said.
Charlie Kirk, 31, was killed on September 10 during a debate at a Utah university, leaving behind Erik and their two young children. On Sunday, he was hailed as a Christian martyr and patriot devoted to free expression and challenging liberal orthodoxy.
Supporters pledged to carry forward his legacy, with Turning Point USA reporting thousands of inquiries from students eager to start high school and college chapters.
Kirk grew from a teenage political activist into a leading conservative influencer and a prominent figure for MAGA youth, his rise closely tied to Donald Trump’s political trajectory.
He founded Turning Point USA to counter liberal ideology on college campuses and promote conservative values, and it has since become one of the most influential conservative advocacy networks in the country.
President Donald Trump proclaimed Charlie Kirk a “martyr for American freedom” in a memorial ceremony to commemorate the political activist as Erika Kirk said she forgave the man who gunned down her husband.
“On that day, this evangelist for American liberty became immortal,” Trump said Sunday before tens of thousands of mourners inside the State Farm stadium in Glendale, Arizona. “He’s a martyr now for American freedom.”
The assassination of Charlie Kirk drew tens of thousands of mourners and many of Trump’s cabinet to laud the leading influencer of young conservatives.
They used the moment not only for remembrance but to galvanize their supporters and unify voters ahead of the 2026 midterms. Trump described how Kirk would ask him to fly across the country to appear at his events with little notice.
“You never wanted to let Charlie down,” Trump said. “He worked so hard you just didn’t want to let him down.”
With Bloomberg inputs
