During the State of the Union on Tuesday night, President Donald Trump paid tribute to the late right-wing political advocate Charlie Kirk, who was publicly killed last year, saying there should be no political violence of any kind as Charlie’s wife, Erika Kirk, is seen getting emotional in the audience.
While Trump was honoring those whose stories have impacted our country recently, he took a moment to honor who he called his “great friend, Charlie Kirk.” As the broadcast panned to Erika in the audience, tears filled her eyes as the president described the fatal last moments Charlie lived.
Erika wiped away tears as members of the audience took to their feet and applauded for her late husband. Trump addressed the nation in regards to Charlie’s death, saying we must remember we are “one nation, under God” and must “totally reject political violence of any kind.”
The conservative commentator died after being shot in the neck on a college campus in September 2025. Donald Trump announced his death on social media, shortly after Charlie was rushed to a nearby hospital.
Kirk had died after sustaining injuries from a shooting at the Utah Valley University campus in Orem, UT, during a Q&A with students where hundreds of people, including some protesters, had gathered.
Kirk was a devoted ally of President Donald Trump … promoting election fraud misinformation after the 2020 election. He also appeared before a House Committee on the January 6 riots because Turning Point sent several buses to the rally. He pleaded the Fifth to questions posed by the committee, though his team said they did hand over thousands of documents.
Charlie is survived by his two young children, along with Erika, who has since taken over as CEO of Charlie’s non-profit organization, “Turning Point USA.”