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Numerous conservative personalities addressed Charlie Kirk’s memorial, but Erika Kirk’s speech became the focal point. Two weeks after the Turning Point USA founder was fatally shot, his memorial service took place on September 21 at State Farm Stadium in Arizona. The event was attended by thousands of people, including Trump's cabinet.
On Sunday, Erika Kirk took the stage with tearful eyes as she remembered her late husband. In one of the most striking moments, she said she forgave Charlie Kirk's killer. Authorities arrested a 22-year-old man, Tyler Robinson, in connection with Kirk's murder. Referring to him, Erika Kirk said,
"My husband Charlie, he wanted to save young men just like the one who took his life. That young man. On the cross, our savior said, 'Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.' That man that young man, I forgive him."
The crowd at the stadium gave a standing ovation when Charlie Kirk’s wife made the remark, with many attendees visibly moved to tears. The wife of the late conservative activist added that her husband would have done the same.
"I forgive him because it was what Christ did and is what Charlie would do. The answer to hate is not hate. The answer we know from the Gospel is love and always love. love for our enemies and love for those who persecute us," she added.
Erika Kirk recalled the moment she saw Charlie Kirk after he was killed
Charlie Kirk’s wife described her emotions upon first seeing her late husband’s body. The Turning Point USA founder was shot and killed on September 10. Erika recounted arriving at the hospital that day and seeing him lifeless. She recalled that when she saw the "wound," she had felt a "level of heartache" she had not known existed.
"I also saw this. I also saw on his lips the faintest smile. And that told me something important. It revealed to me a great mercy from God in this tragedy. When I saw that, it told me Charlie didn't suffer. Even the doctor told me it was something so instant that even if Charlie had been shot in the operating room itself nothing could have been done," Erika Kirk said.
Erika Kirk, who shared two children with Charlie Kirk, also spoke about the bond they had. She said the secret of their strong marriage was the love notes her husband often gave her.
"It was love notes. Every Saturday, Charlie wrote one for me, and he never missed a Saturday. And in every single one of them, he'd tell me what his highlight was for the week, how grateful he was for me and our babies," she recalled.
Turning Point USA’s board appointed Erika Kirk as the new CEO and chairman. Speaking about her late husband’s organization, she swore to uphold his legacy.
"His passion was my passion, and now his mission is my mission. Everything that Turning Point USA built through Charlie's vision and hard work, we will make 10 times greater through the power of his memory," she added.
Following Erika Kirk's speech, President Donald Trump delivered a long eulogy and called Charlie Kirk a "martyr." He restated that the conservative activist would be posthumously awarded America’s highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
