Erika Kirk says Usha Vance's words 'seared into my heart' after husband Charlie's death

Erika Kirk recently lifted the lid on one piece of advice Usha Vance gave her following the tragic death of her husband, Charlie Kirk.

For those unaware, the American right-wing political activist, entrepreneur, and media personality was murdered at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, at the age of 31 on September 10, 2025. He was addressing an outdoor campus debate planned by Turning Point USA, the conservative youth organization he co-founded and led, when he was fatally shot in the neck with a single bullet by a sniper keeping a distance of 130 meters.

The New York Times published Erika’s guest essay on Monday, September 7, in which she reflected on her life after the brutal assassination of her husband.

She opened up about the time when she travelled back to Phoenix from Utah the very next day of Charlie’s death and the sudden realization that she would never have to give up for the sake of their children.

“The past 24 hours feel like a fever dream as I land in Phoenix from Utah and return home. I get out of the car, and my kids run into my arms,’ Erika recalled. “They have no idea where I was or what I was doing. They care only that I am home.”

While having a conversation with Usha earlier that day, she told Usha, “I don’t know how I’m going to do this.”

The wife of Vice President JD Vance gave her extremely heart-touching advice, as she told Erika, “You know when you’re on an airplane with your kids, and you’re going to land in 15 minutes, but the kids are going crazy, screaming, throwing things, and then the plane lands, and the kids relax, and everything is fine again? That’s how it will be. Just get through the next 15 minutes.”

“Her words are seared into my heart,” the CEO of Turning Point USA admitted.

It is pertinent to mention that Erika Kirk and Charlie Kirk, who was a close ally of the U.S. president Donald Trump and a highly influential figure in the MAGA movement, welcomed two children together.