Just two days after her husband's death, Erika Kirk delivered a highly emotional speech. She will ensure that no one forgets the name Charlie Kirk, said the former Miss Arizona. He wears the crown of a martyr.
She had tears in her eyes, yet she was so strong. Erika Frantzve Kirk, wife of the murdered founder of Turning Point USA, addressed the public for the first time Friday evening in Arizona, where her husband is to be buried.
"My husband gave his life for me, for our nation, and for our children," Kirk said. She stood behind a podium bearing a photograph of her late husband's face. She continued:"May Charlie be received into the merciful arms of Jesus, our loving Savior. Now and for all eternity, he will stand beside his Savior, wearing the glorious crown of a martyr."
No one should forget her husband's name
No one should ever forget her husband's name, Erika Kirk said, and she would personally ensure that. Kirk was shot in the neck Wednesday afternoon at Utah Valley University at the age of 31 while giving a speech at the first stop of his American Comeback Tour.
Tyler Robinson, just 22, is accused of firing the fatal shot about 200 meters from the podium from which the right-wing influencer was speaking. Robinson, a devout Mormon and trade school student, was taken into custody Thursday evening after a large-scale manhunt.
Addressing Tyler Robinson, Erika Kirk said:"You have no idea the fire you have ignited in this woman. This widow's screams will echo around the world like a battle cry." She also announced that she would continue the work of Kirk's organization,"Turning Point USA," and that the debate rounds at US universities would continue.
And she recounted how she had explained their father's absence to her children. The previous evening, her little daughter had run up to her and immediately asked where her father was."What do you say to a three-year-old? He's on a business trip with Jesus..." the mother of two explained through tears.
Erika Frantzve was Miss Arizona in 2012, and in 2021 she married Charlie Kirk. They have two young children, a three-year-old daughter and a one-year-old son. Vice President J.D. Vance and his wife Usha cared for the widow. The 41-year-old even helped carry Kirk's wooden coffin to Air Force Two during a private ceremony at the Roland R. Wright Air National Guard Base in Salt Lake City.
Donald Trump said on Friday that he plans to attend Kirk's funeral, calling it an"obligation." The US president had previously announced that he would posthumously award Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom—the nation's highest civilian honor.
