“Our daughter ran into my arms, she’s three. She asked, ‘Where is daddy?’ I told her, ‘Daddy is on a work trip with Jesus.’” Erika Kirk, the wife of the late Charlie Kirk made her first public address since her husband\’s assassination on Friday evening and promised to continue the political movement her husband started.

Erika Kirk’s emotional address on Friday evening marked a poignant moment of resilience amid profound grief, as she shared the heartbreaking exchange with her three-year-old daughter while vowing to carry forward her late husband Charlie Kirk’s vision for Turning Point USA and conservative activism.

In the speech, delivered via livestream from the organization’s headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona, she described telling her daughter, “Baby, daddy loves you so much. Don’t you worry. He’s on a work trip with Jesus,” as a way to gently explain the unimaginable loss.

Kirk, 31 at the time of his death, was fatally shot on September 10, 2025, during a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, in what authorities have described as a targeted political assassination.

The suspect, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, was arrested shortly after and faces charges including aggravated murder; investigators linked him to the crime through DNA evidence, security footage, and a note expressing intent to “take out” Kirk.

Throughout her 20-minute remarks, Erika Kirk, 36, a former Miss Arizona USA and businesswoman, held back tears while quoting Scripture and emphasizing faith, patriotism, and family—core themes of her husband’s work. She thanked first responders for their efforts to save Charlie’s life, law enforcement for the swift arrest, and Turning Point USA staff for their support.

She also expressed deep gratitude to President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Second Lady Usha Vance, noting the close bond between her husband and the administration: “Mr. President, my husband loved you.

And he knew that you loved him too. Your friendship was amazing. You supported him so well.” Trump had ordered U.S. flags lowered to half-staff in Kirk’s honor and praised him as “the Great, and even Legendary” figure who understood America’s youth