Conservative activist Charlie Kirk was shot and killed while giving a speech at a university on Wednesday, and died of his injuries within hours. His widow, who had previously remained silent about the murder, has now broken her silence and sent a touching message to supporters, thanking those who fought for her husband's life. Erika Kirk not only sent a message, but also told what she told their daughters about their father's whereabouts.
Charlie Kirk was shot and killed in Utah on Wednesday, and his wife spoke on ABC News for the first time since the murder.
You have no idea what kind of fire you have lit in this wife, this widow's cry will echo like a battle cry throughout the world
– said Erika Kirk, then confirmed that she will continue her husband's activism through the organization Turning Point USA. “To everyone listening to us tonight in America: the movement my husband created will not die. We will all stop that from happening.”
No one will ever forget my husband's name, I will take care of it
– he stated.
Kirk's widow also thanked first responders and investigators for their work, and expressed gratitude to Donald Trump and J.D. Vance for their support after Wednesday's shooting. "Mr. President, my husband loved you, and he knew you loved him," said Erika Kirk, fighting back tears."He really did. Their friendship was amazing. You were so supportive of him, and he was so supportive of you."
Mother and former beauty queen
Charlie and Erika Kirk are parents to a 1-year-old boy and a 3-year-old girl who are growing up without their father.
When I got home last night, our daughter just ran into my arms. She told me she missed me so much, and then she asked,"Where's Daddy?" What do you say to a three-year-old? I said,"Sweetie, Daddy loves you so much. Don't worry. He's working with Jesus to afford your blueberry budget."
Erika Kirk won the Miss Arizona title in 2012 and married the conservative activist in 2021. She attended Liberty University, studied biblical studies, and played basketball. According to her website, she is the founder of the faith-based clothing line Proclaim, the host of the Midweek Rise Up podcast, and the founder of two nonprofit organizations.
Erika Kirk was often present at her husband's side at speeches and public appearances.
The suspected murderer was caught.
Index also reported that Donald Trump told Fox News that the FBI had caught the suspected killer of Charlie Kirk. A 22-year-old Utah resident, Tyler Robinson, is suspected of shooting the activist. The young man was taken into custody on Thursday night, around 11 p.m. local time, in the state of Utah. Robinson could face the death penalty if found guilty of the assassination. The boy has a well-established family background. His mother works for an organization that helps people with disabilities, his father works in law enforcement, and he has two younger brothers. Tyler was admitted to the University of Utah in 2021, but only attended for one semester.
A family member said Robinson had become increasingly interested in politics, and during a conversation, they discussed Charlie Kirk's arrival in Utah. The man then commented that he considered the conservative activist's work hateful. The governor said the boy had been chatting with friends on Discord after the attack.
Utah Governor Spencer Cox said the incident was more than an “attack on one person, it’s an attack on all of us.” Robinson is believed to have committed the murder alone, but the investigation is ongoing. The governor said the boy was not a student at the university. At the end of the press conference, a reporter asked him if he had changed clothes at the scene before the shooting.
Murdered activist laid to rest in Arizona
Charlie Kirk's widow, Erika Frantzve, wiped back tears as she waved to supporters in Phoenix, Arizona, Thursday night as she escorted her husband's casket from the airport to the Hansen Mortuary Chapel. The 31-year-old conservative activist's body was flown home from Utah to Arizona on Vice President J.D. Vance's Air Force 2 government plane, where they were greeted by crowds waving American flags.
Keep praying for Erika Kirk, this picture is hard to see 💔
— vanessa (@nessacastil) September 12, 2025
Vice President J. D. Vance arranged the flight after the attack and personally attended Kirk's widow's funeral. The 41-year-old vice president canceled a Sept. 11 memorial service at Ground Zero in Manhattan to travel to Utah with his wife, Usha Vance, to visit Kirk's family. Erika Frantzve and Usha Vance walked hand in hand down the steps of Air Force 2 at Phoenix's Sky Harbor International Airport as the wooden casket was lifted into the hearse that would carry Kirk's remains to the chapel, 10 miles away.
Vance and Kirk were friends, the vice president confirmed this in a Twitter post he posted a few hours after Kirk's death.
“Charlie called and texted me many times, asking about our family, giving us advice, and praying for us,” Vance wrote, adding that Kirk “would give me a big hug after each event and ask what he could do for me.”
Openly supported Trump
Charlie Kirk became a well-known media personality with The Charlie Kirk Show, which he hosted from 2021 until his death, and which was among the most popular political shows on Apple Podcasts. According to a 2023 study by the Brookings Institution, the podcast was a major source of misleading claims in the American political media. In February 2025, the activist signed a contract with Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) to host a new talk show, Charlie Kirk Today. He has been an outspoken supporter of Donald Trump's policies, criticizing his handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, critical race theory, and the scientific consensus on climate change. His conservative views and sharp debating style have brought him national recognition, but have also drawn criticism.
The young activist had close ties to the Trump family from an early age, being a close confidant of Donald Trump and a friend of the president's eldest son. Turning Point USA and Turning Point Action played a key role in Trump's return to the White House in 2024: for example, the"Chase the Vote" program in Arizona mobilized hundreds of thousands of voters who played a decisive role in winning the state. As of September 2025, Charlie had 8.6 million followers on Instagram, while his pages were followed by 6.4 million on Facebook and 5.5 million on X.
“No one understood or knew the hearts of young Americans better than Charlie. Everyone loved and admired him, especially me”
– Donald Trump wrote on his social media page when he announced the news of his death. His Vice President, J. D. Vance, praised Charlie as a friend and called him a “good man.”
Hungarian government and opposition reactions to the assassination
The news of Charlie Kirk's death also shook the Hungarian political scene, with Viktor Orbán saying goodbye to the American conservative activist with these words:
"We express our deepest condolences to the Kirk family and the American people."
Charlie Kirk's death is the result of an international hate campaign launched by the progressive-liberal left. This has led to attacks on Robert Fico, Andrej Babis and now Charlie Kirk
– Viktor Orbán declared, noting: “We must stop the hatred! We must stop the hate-mongering left!”
But Máté Kocsis, the leader of the Fidesz faction, even linked the events to Péter Magyar. In his opinion, anyone who is"sovereignist, anti-immigration, a defender of the traditional family model, conservative, and does not repeat what liberal propaganda wants to hear or allows" can become a target.
It would be better at home too if the hot-headed Péter Magyar and his propaganda stopped harassing, inciting, inciting a lynch mob, and legitimizing any form of violence!
He believes that"Telex and its associates" will whitewash the perpetrator by saying that he was "far-right","lonely" or "mad".
Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi, a politician from the Tisza party, expressed his condolences on his social media page to the American influencer Charlie Kirk who was shot dead on Wednesday night and his family. The former chief of staff called Donald Trump's reaction chillingly accurate:"Violence and murder are the tragic consequences of demonizing those with whom they disagree."
The politician believes that the latter quote is also present in Hungary. In his post, he mentioned Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's"bug-eating" and Kötcse speeches on March 15, and he discovered an open threat in the latter.
He stated that"this is no longer politics. This is hate speech, which poisons the community, destroys society, and gradually blocks the way to peaceful debate. Words are made into bullets, thereby poisoning society. A leader who does not set an example but creates images of enemies ultimately turns his own people against each other."
