A week after the assassination of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk, his widow Erika has turned her grief into a political and religious platform. The former Miss Arizona, now an entrepreneur and podcaster, has taken over the leadership of Turning Point USA, the movement her husband founded to spread conservative ideology on American college campuses.
“The movement my husband built will not die”
Two days after her husband’s death, shot during a public event on a university campus, Erika Kirk appeared on social media standing next to the chair from which he used to record his podcast. “The movement my husband built will not die,” she declared, before adding: “They killed Charlie because he preached a message of patriotism, faith and God’s merciful love. They should all know this: If you thought that my husband’s mission was powerful before, you have no idea.”
Erika Kirk is now leading Turning Point USA, the movement her husband created to spread conservative ideas among American students. After his assassination, she was appointed to carry on his legacy. Founded in 2012, the organization has become a major platform for Trump-aligned conservatism, uniting young people around a patriotic, Christian, and traditionalist project through conferences, online campaigns, and mass events.
“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.,” she continued, calling on young people to join Turning Point USA. She also thanked Donald Trump for his support.
A staged mourning
Followed by more than five million people on Instagram, Erika Kirk has made her mourning deeply public: photographed kissing her husband’s hand in his half-open casket, bending over him, or hunched in grief on an airport tarmac beside JD Vance and his wife, before her husband’s body was flown aboard the U.S. Vice President’s plane.
Republican President Donald Trump has announced he will attend the memorial ceremony on Sunday in Glendale, held in a stadium with over 60,000 seats.
A model couple for the conservative right
Charlie and Erika Kirk showcased their marriage as an ideological symbol. In June, she appeared on stage beside him at Turning Point USA’s largest gathering of young conservative women, in Dallas. “You’re not wasting your degree when you’re raising your children in wisdom, love, and truth. I don’t want you chasing a paycheck,” she told the audience, arguing that getting married “after thirty” is “not ideal.” “God is so wonderful. When I met Charlie, having a career became the least of my concerns,” she confided.
At 36, married since 2021 and mother of two, Erika Kirk claims a deeply Christian faith that runs through all her work. Her clothing line Proclaim features biblical quotes and religious imagery. With Biblein365, she offers daily guidance for reading the Bible in one year. Her weekly podcast encourages listeners to “take a deep breath and remind yourself that God’s got this,” according to her website.
With degrees in law, political science, and international relations, she says she is pursuing a PhD in biblical studies at an evangelical university. “Our fight is not only political — it is above all spiritual,” she emphasized on Friday, vowing that their movement will become “stronger, louder, bolder, and greater than ever.”
The assassination of Charlie Kirk — a leading figure among pro-Trump youth — has sparked a massive wave of solidarity: millions of dollars in donations have already been raised through various initiatives since his death.