Erika Kirk, CEO of Turning Point USA and widow of conservative leader Charlie Kirk, dismissed the idea that gun violence was the central cause behind her husband’s assassination.
According to Fox News, Kirk argues instead that the deeper issue lies within human behavior and the state of the nation’s mental and spiritual health.
Kirk appeared on Wednesday at The New York Times DealBook Summit, joining journalist Andrew Ross Sorkin for the event’s final interview — a high-profile slot once occupied by figures such as Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos.
Sorkin began by noting that Charlie Kirk had originally been scheduled to appear at the summit before his assassination. He then referenced past conversations he had shared with Charlie regarding gun violence after mass shootings.
“He was a real believer, as you know, in the Second Amendment, and I’m curious how you think today about gun violence in America, given what happened to him,” Sorkin said.
“It’s a thoughtful question,” Kirk replied. “And I wouldn’t wish upon anyone what I have been through. And I support the Second Amendment as well. I do. But there’s a bigger and much deeper conversation to all of that.”
Kirk said that when she visits college campuses, counselors consistently report that students are dealing with “mental health, anxiety [and] depression.” She explained that Charlie had long emphasized the importance of “brain health” — including rest, nutrition, and self-care — when speaking with young people.
“And what Charlie knew, and he was trying to explain to students on campus, was that you have to understand that brain health is so important — how you eat, how you take care of yourself, how you nourish yourself, how you rest. And to him, it was much more deeper and intricate,” she said.
Kirk said the tragedy forced her to confront an unsettling truth about society.
“And what I’ve realized through all of this is that you can have — you can have individuals that will always resort to violence. And what I’m afraid of is that we are living in a day and age where they think violence is the solution to them not wanting to hear a different point of view. That’s not a gun problem. That’s a human, deeply human problem. That is a soul problem. That is a mental — that is a very deeper issue,” she told Sorkin.
She also shared personal steps she has taken since her husband’s murder, including removing all social media and news apps from her phone.
“Social media, like many things, it can be used for such good. And it can be used for such evil,” she noted. “I took it all off my phone. I don’t even have news apps on my phone. I have nothing on my phone. I let other people post for me and siphon through those comments. That is not — I do not have the brain space for that, and it would not be healthy for me either.”
Kirk said the hostility she encounters online pales in comparison to her family’s loss.
“I get called so many names, I genuinely don’t care. I really don’t,” she said. “I told you this before — when you cast the bloody dead body of the person that you love, it pales in comparison to being called x, y, z.”
She reflected on the role social media played in her husband’s work but also highlighted how intentionally he disconnected to protect his peace.
“It did not happen overnight. This is something that he leaned into. And on Friday night, when he would get home from work, he would turn off his phone and he would shove it in the junk drawer, and he would say, ‘Shabbat Shalom,’ shove it in the drawer, and he was full Dad mode,” Kirk said.
She recalled how weekends became a rare window for him to breathe, reset, and focus on family, providing a reminder of what truly matters beyond the “chatter” and busyness of the world.
“He had this sacred moment to just breathe and to rest and get away from the chatter, get away from the world and just have a moment to understand that life is so much bigger than the To-Do list,” she said.
