At least 90,000 people crowded into the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona for Charlie Kirk’s memorial on September 21. Thousands more overflowed into nearby venues. An estimated 200,000 people attended in person from the stadium and overflow venues or tuned in online.
One of the most sincere, shocking, and tear-jerking moments in the memorial was Erika Kirk publicly forgiving her husband’s assassin. Erika referenced Luke 23:34, the verse where Jesus Christ, while hanging on the cross, forgives his own murderers. Then, struggling to choke back tears and asking God for strength, she publicly forgave Tyler Robinson for killing her husband and the father of her two children, the well-beloved Charlie Kirk.
“The answer to hate is not hate. The answer we know from the Gospel is love, always love,” Erika stated.
This was no show of political theatre or mere Christian rhetoric. With the words “I forgive him,” Erika reflected God’s true and abounding love and mercy.
In addition to being Turning Point USA’s new CEO and Chair of the Board, Erika Kirk also serves as the Founder and Owner of Everyday Heroes Like You, Biblein365, and PROCLAIM streetwear. She also hosts the “Midweek Rise Up” podcast.
Watch here: ‘Answer to hate is not to hate’: Erika Kirk says she forgives Charlie Kirk’s shooter
Natalie Spaulding, a 2025 Hillsdale College graduate, recently joined the Must Read Alaska team.