In the sad history of political assassinations in late 20^el-century and early 21^{S t}-century America, the bereaved family is silent, other than the briefest of remarks on social media. Draped in black, they are whisked to viewings, funerals and gravesites in limousines, then quickly taken away.

But on Sept. 12, Erika Kirk, wife of slain Christian activist charlie kirk, put on a white blazer to speak in the office where her husband did his daily talk show and podcast. What followed was part altar call and part call to arms in response to the murder of her husband during a Sept. 10 appearance at Utah Valley University in Orem. While not taking a position for or against Charlie Kirk himself, The Roys Report (TRR) is running a transcript of his widow’s speech. We wish to illustrate how one Christian woman responded to the very public and very brutal killing of her husband by trying to bring good out of evil.

Good evening. My name is Erika Kirk. Charlie Kirk is my husband. I first want to thank the local, state, and federal law enforcement who worked tirelessly to capture my husband’s assassin so that he can be brought to justice.

I want to thank the first responders who struggled heroically to save Charles’ life, and the police who acted bravely to make sure that there were no other victims on that terrible afternoon. I want to thank the officers who have protected our Turning Point USA family these past two days, and I want to thank the Turning Point USA board, the COO, Justin Streiff, and my husband’s chief of staff, the amazing Mikey McCoy, for all their work in these terrible days to be the stability for our family, and for the wider Turning Point USA family as well.

My heart is with every one of my husband’s employees who lost a friend and a mentor. I want to thank the staffers of his amazing Charlie Kirk Show, who helped him broadcast from this studio, this chair. Every day, he loved it. He loved what he did.

I want to thank the millions of people who have shown their love for Charlie here in Phoenix, across America, and worldwide. I want to thank my husband’s dear friend, Vice President Vance, and his phenomenal wife, Usha, for their love and support. You guys honored my husband so well, bringing him home. You both are tremendous.

I want to thank President Trump and his incredible family for the same. Mr. President, my husband loved you, and he knew that you loved him too.

He did. Your friendship was amazing. You supported him so well. I have so much love for you.

Marriage and family

Two days ago, my husband, Charlie, went to see the face of his Savior and his God. Charlie always said that when he was gone, he wanted to be remembered for his courage and for his faith. One of the final conversations that he had on this earth, my husband witnessed for his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Now and for all eternity, he will stand at his Savior’s side, wearing the glorious crown of a martyr.

Charlie loved life. He loved his life. He loved America. He loved nature, which always helped bring him closer to God. He loved the Chicago Cubs. And my goodness, did he love the Oregon Ducks. He wanted me to say, “Go Ducks.” So, I have to since they play on Saturday. So, go Ducks!

But most of all, Charlie loved his children. And he loved me with all of his heart. And I knew that. Every day I knew that. He made sure I knew that every day. Every day he would ask me, “How can I serve you better? How can I be a better husband? How can I be a better father?” Every day. He’s such a good man. He still is a good man. He was the perfect father. He was the perfect husband.

Charlie always believed that God’s design for marriage and the family was absolutely amazing, and it is. It is. And it was the greatest joy of his life. And over and over, he would tell all these young people to come and find their future spouse, become wives and husbands and parents. And the reason why is because he wanted you all to experience what he had and still has. He wanted everyone to bring heaven into this earth through love and joy that comes from raising a family. It’s beautiful.

Charlie always said that if he ever ran for office — I know a lot of you asked if he ever was going to — but privately, he told me if he ever did run for office, that his top priority would be to revive the American family. That was his priority.

One of Charlie’s favorite Bible verses was Ephesians 5, verse 25: “Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.” My husband laid down his life for me, for our nation, for our children. He showed the ultimate and true covenantal love.

All things working together

I will never, ever have the words to describe the loss that I feel in my heart. I honestly have no idea what any of this means. I know that God does, but I don’t. But Charlie, baby, I know you do too. I know you do. So does our Lord.

And our world is filled with evil. But our God, you guys, our God is so good. So incredibly good. And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good. For those who are called according to his purpose.

Already I have seen the worldwide outpouring of love for my husband. I’ve heard the testimonies from people my husband inspired to get married, to start families, to seek out a relationship with God. It’s the most important, most important one of all.

The evildoers responsible for my husband’s assassination have no idea what they have done. They killed Charlie because he preached a message of patriotism, faith, and of God’s merciful love. They should all know this. If you thought that my husband’s mission was powerful before, you have no idea. You have no idea what you just have unleashed across this entire country and this world. You have no idea. You have no idea the fire that you have ignited within this wife. The cries of this widow will echo around the world like a battle cry.

To everyone listening tonight across America, the movement my husband built will not die. It won’t. I refuse to let that happen. It will not die. All of us will refuse to let that happen. No one will ever forget my husband’s name, and I will make sure of it. It will become stronger, bolder, louder, and greater than ever. My husband’s mission will not end, not even for a moment.

One of Charlie’s greatest talents was his ability, this phenomenal ability to choose great people to follow him. He could always find the ones who could handle any setback. It’s almost like he knew. He could see it in you. Even when you couldn’t see it in yourself, he just knew. He knew you could handle it. You thought you only had 5 percent left, and he knew you had fifteen. He knew you were ready to go that extra mile even when you didn’t. He always challenged people around him to work harder and to be better. He never gave up. And I love knowing that one of his mottos was “Never surrender.” So, I want to tell you that we’ll never surrender. We never will. Ever. Ever.

Our campus tour this fall will continue. There will be even more tours in the years to come. America Fest here in Phoenix this December will go on. It will be greater than ever. The radio and podcast show that he was so proud of will go on. And in a world filled with chaos, doubt, and uncertainty, my husband’s voice will remain. And it will ring out louder and more clearly than ever. And his wisdom will endure.

My favorite, too, but my husband’s favorite word in the English language was “earn.” He would call all of you to be people of action who earn the future America deserves. So, to all of the young people who felt inspired by my husband’s faith in hard work, all of you already know what Charlie would want you to do. You know. You know. If you’re in high school or if you’re in college, go find your local Turning Point USA chapter. Join it. Stay involved. He wants you to make a difference. And you can. You can. The movement’s not going anywhere. And it will only grow stronger when you join it. If there isn’t a chapter, you can’t find one, then start one. There is no excuse. Start one.

And as my husband used to say in this room, every single day, if you want to get involved, the best way you can do that is going to TPUSA.com. That’s what he would say every day from this chair. Every single day. I watched his show every day, and he would always say, if you want to get involved, go to TPUSA.com. If you’re a pastor, join our movement at TPUSAFaith. And if you’re a parent, I highly recommend that you come to America Fest in December. Sign up right now for that because we would love to see you. I would love to see you. Charlie would. He’ll be there. He’ll be there in spirit. Bring your kids. Bring your family.

Making heaven crowded

But most important of all, if you aren’t a member of a church, I beg you to join one, a Bible-believing church. Our battle is not simply a political one above all. It is spiritual. It is spiritual. The spiritual warfare is palpable. Charlie loved his Savior with all of his heart, and he wanted every one of you to know him, too. He wanted everyone to know that if they confess, if they confess the Lord Jesus Christ who rose from the dead, then they will be saved.

Hear me when I say this. Nobody is ever too young to know the Gospel. Nobody. Nobody is ever too young to get involved with saving this beautiful country, this country my husband loved and still loves.

And nobody is ever too old, either. There’s no age limit. I know my husband is still here. He’s watching over us. I don’t remember the last time I slept. I couldn’t sleep last night.

Charlie, baby. Charlie, I promise I will never let your legacy die, baby. I promise I’ll make Turning Point USA the biggest thing that this nation has ever seen. I promise. Charlie, I love you. I love you, baby. Rest in the arms of our Lord as he blankets you with the words I know your heart always strived to hear: “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”

When I got home last night, Gigi, our daughter, just ran into my arms. And I talked to her, and she said, “Mommy, I missed you.”

I said, “I miss you, too, baby.”

She goes, “Where’s Daddy?”

What do you tell a three-year-old? She’s three. I said, “Baby, Daddy loves you so much. Don’t you worry. He’s on a work trip with Jesus, so he can afford your blueberry budget.”

And my goodness, am I so humbled to witness Charlie — you — alongside Jesus right now, doing what you always want to do, baby. Making heaven crowded, right? That’s what it’s all about. Making heaven crowded. I can’t wait to see you again one day.

Thank you all again who love my husband, who supported him, who wrote him an email every single day during his radio show. He read all of them. All of them. God bless you all. And may God bless America.