Erika Kirk, widow of slain activist Charlie Kirk, told mourners Sunday that she forgives the man accused of killing her husband and urged unity and peace in a speech that drew tears and silence inside State Farm Stadium.
“He wanted to save young men. Just like the one who took his life,” she said through tears, speaking from the stage behind the presidential seal.
“I forgive him because it was what Christ did. And what Charlie would do,” she added. “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.”
Kirk said she would not seek the death penalty for Tyler Robinson, who is charged with her husband’s killing. “I do not want that man’s blood on my ledger,” she told the New York Times. “Because when I get to heaven, and Jesus is like: ‘Uh, eye for an eye? Is that how we do it?’ And that keeps me from being in heaven, from being with Charlie?”
President Trump embraced Erika on stage after delivering his eulogy, calling Charlie Kirk “a great American hero” and pledging that the couple’s two children would grow up in a world where their father was revered. Trump has repeatedly expressed his grief since Kirk’s death, at times comparing him to another son.
But it was Erika who delivered the address that drew the strongest response, moving both the crowd of more than 70,000 inside the stadium and thousands watching outside.
“It was very heartfelt. I really empathized with her. Being a mom and wife myself, I can’t imagine,” said Phoenix resident Stephanie.
Dressed in white and pausing to compose herself at the podium, Erika thanked the estimated 200,000 people who attended. “God bless all of you for coming here from all over the world to honor and celebrate my Charlie.”
“When you say ‘here I am, Lord, use me,’ God will take you up on that. And he did with Charlie,” she said. “Eleven days ago, God accepted that total surrender from my husband and then called him to his side.”
She recalled seeing his body at a Utah hospital on Sept. 10. “I saw the wound that ended his life, I felt everything you would expect to feel. I felt shock, I felt horror and a level of heartache that I didn’t even know existed. But there was something else, too. Even in death I could see the man that I love. I could see the single gray hair on the side of his head, which I never told him about — now he knows, sorry baby.”
She added that she noticed “the faintest smile” on his lips, which she said revealed “a great mercy from God in this tragedy” and reassured her that he had not suffered.
In her remarks, she said her husband had been prepared. “I want all of you to know, while Charlie died far too early, he was also ready to die. There was nothing he was putting off. There was nothing that was too hard, or too painful.”
Reflecting on his legacy, Erika said: “He named his organization well. He knew things were not right with America, especially with young people, and that they needed a new direction. Charlie passionately wanted to reach and save the lost boys of the West. The young men who feel like they have no direction, no purpose, no faith and no reason to live. The men wasting their lives on distractions and the men consumed with anger and hate.”
Watch the clip below:
Erika Kirk: "My husband Charlie he wanted to save young men, just like the one who took his life…On the cross, our savior said, 'Father, forgive them, for they not know what they do.' That young man. I forgive him." pic.twitter.com/jy8W7YrmVs
— CSPAN (@cspan) September 21, 2025
Erika’s full comments below:
This is Erika Kirk’s full eulogy for Charlie. It’ll leave you with chills. She has Charlie’s heart and ability to connect with everyone on a personal level where it doesn’t seem like there’s a stadium of people around. Almost no one could meet this moment. She absolutely did. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/qYZIr9SR3B
— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) September 21, 2025
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