Swimmer-turned-activist Riley Gaines opened up about how Charlie Kirk and his wife Erika’s faith and marriage inspired her and husband Louis Barker to strengthen their relationship and consider the future they want to build as a family.Kirk, the co-founder of Turning Point USA, a conservative organization, was assassinated while speaking at an event at Utah Valley University on September 10. Gaines and Kirk shared a close bond and had appeared together on stage at San Francisco State University in May 2025, during 'The American Comeback Tour'.In a conversation with The Conservateur, Gaines said that in the weeks after Kirk’s assassination, she and Louis watched every video of Charlie and Erika that appeared on their feeds. Gaines maintained that the couple inspired meaningful conversations about faith, values, and the legacy she and her husband hope to build. “Their example sparked some of the most meaningful conversations in our own marriage about our spiritual growth as individuals and as a couple, about politics and values, and about the kind of legacy we want to build for our daughter,” Gaines said. Kirk married Erika, a businesswoman and former Miss Arizona, in May 2021, and the couple had two children together. Meanwhile, Gaines and Louis are expecting their first child, a baby girl. They announced the pregnancy in June 2025.Riley Gaines sent a strong message following the death of Charlie Kirk Riley Gaines at 10X Ladies Conference Miami Hosted By Elena Cardone - Source: GettyRiley Gaines also issued a strong message after Kirk’s death, calling attention to how broken society has become. She added that the attack was deliberate, carried out specifically because of his political beliefs.“Where do we go from here? I ask that genuinely. It’s not a rhetorical question. I genuinely ask. Our society is so, so, so sick and so broken. The truth is so hated. They’ve proven that they will kill you for disagreeing with them politically. And that’s precisely what happened here to Charlie Kirk. He was killed. They killed a man, again, a father, a husband, a Christian. They did this to him because they disagreed with him politically,” Riley Gaines said on the OutKick podcast. View this post on Instagram Instagram PostTurning Point USA held a memorial service for Kirk at State Farm Stadium in Arizona on September 21. About 100,000 people attended the service, including President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, Elon Musk, and Tucker Carlson, to pay tribute to the late conservative political activist