Charlie Kirk‘s devastated widow revealed the tender words from Second Lady Usha Vance that brought her comfort in the wake of his assassination.
Speaking for the conservative activist’s public memorial at State Farm Stadium in Arizona on Sunday, Erika Kirk revealed she turned to Usha for advice on how to cope with such a monumental loss.
Vice President JD Vance had transported Kirk’s casket, along with Erika and their two young children, on board Air Force Two on September 11 – one day after Kirk was assassinated while debating students at the Utah Valley University college campus.
In emotional images, the grief-stricken Erika could be seen stepping off the plane hand in hand with Usha. The widow kept her head low and sunglasses on while the Second Lady guided her.
On Sunday, Erika thanked Usha for her stoicism during the tragedy, and the words of advice she offered on the plane.
Erika said: ‘[Usha] told me, you will get through these 15 minutes and the next 15 minutes after that.
‘Usha, I don’t think you realized it then, but those words were exactly what I needed to hear.’
Erika described her friend Usha as a ‘precious woman’ in the emotional speech.
Charlie Kirk ‘s devastated widow has revealed the tender words from Second Lady Usha Vance which brought her comfort immediately after his assassination
There were emotional scenes of grief-stricken Erika stepping off the plane hand in hand with Usha, keeping her head low and sunglasses on as she allowed the Second Lady to guide her
‘I held her hand and told her, honestly I do not know how I am going to get through this.’
Prior to Erika’s heart-wrenching speech, Usha’s husband Vice President JD Vance had delivered his own emotional message to the huge crowd.
‘For Charlie, we will remember that it is better to stand on our feet defending the United States of America and defending the truth than it is to die on our knees,’ Vance said.
Vance, who credits Kirk for his political rise through the ranks and the success of the Trump administration, told the gathered crowd that his friend was a ‘martyr.’
‘We must remember that he is a hero to the United States of America. And he is a martyr for the Christian faith,’ he said.
‘I have talked more about Jesus Christ the past two weeks than I have my entire time in public office.
‘Our whole administration is here, but not just because we love Charlie as a friend, even though we did, but because we know we wouldn’t be here without him. Charlie built an organization that reshaped the balance of our politics.’
Vance was one of the first politicians to pay tribute to his late friend, and helped to carry his coffin as it was loaded into Air Force Two bound for his home state of Arizona.
Speaking at State Farm Stadium in Arizona on Sunday afternoon for 31-year-old Kirk’s public memorial, Erika Kirk revealed she turned to Usha for advice on how to cope with such a monumental loss
Erika said her marriage with Kirk was the best thing both of them ever did
Vance stood front and center as he and members of the National Guard carried Charlie Kirk’s coffin to Air Force Two on Thursday
Vance and Kirk sparked up a friendship in 2017, long before the Vice President’s meteoric rise within MAGA circles.
‘Charlie was one of the first people I called when I thought about running for senate in early 2021. I was interested but skeptical there was a pathway,’ he revealed in a tribute after Kirk’s death.
‘We talked through everything, from the strategy to the fundraising to the grassroots of the movement he knew so well. He introduced me to some of the people who would run my campaign and also to Donald Trump Jr. “Like his dad, he’s misunderstood. He’s extremely smart, and very much on our wavelength.” Don took a call from me because Charlie asked him too.
‘Long before I ever committed (even in my mind) to running, Charlie had me speak to his donors at a TPUSA event. He walked me around the room and introduced me. He gave me honest feedback on my remarks. He had no reason to do this, no expectation that I’d go anywhere. I was polling, at that point, well below 5 percent. He did it because we were friends, and because he was a good man.
‘When I became the VP nominee –– something Charlie advocated for both in public and private –– Charlie was there for me.’
Erika and Vance spoke on Sunday just before President Donald Trump, who also praised Kirk for helping bolster the Republican cause ahead of the 2024 election.
‘The gun was pointed at him, but the bullet was aimed at every one of us.’
Accused assassin, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson was arrested two days after Kirk’s death and has been charged with capital murder.
Vance issued a heart-wrenching tribute to Charlie Kirk after the MAGA firebrand was assassinated on a Utah college campus
The couple had two children, a three-year-old daughter and 16-month-old son
Vice President JD Vance (left) and President Donald Trump (right) were among the final speakers of the afternoon
Prosecutors and the Trump administration are pushing for him to receive the death penalty in a state that uses the firing squad in executions.
But even on that topic, Erika Kirk refused to endorse her husband’s accused killer’s death.
Instead, she said she wouldn’t want a decision like that on her conscience, and deferred to the government to make the decision.
‘He [Charlie] wanted to save young men just like the one who took his life,’ Erika said, sparking roars from the crowd and a standing ovation.
‘That man, that young man, I forgive him,’ Erika Kirk said while breaking into tears.
