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Riley Gaines mourns assassination Charlie Kirk, She called it “friends and mentors,” and in a long and emotional video, she condemned political violence against the popular conservative activist.
Gaines, the host of Outkick “Gaynes of the Girl” The podcast and 12-time NCAA All-American swimmer shared her thoughts in a video released by Outkick on Thursday. The video comes after Kirk’s killing of Kirk, who was hit by a bullet during a speech event on the Utah campus on Wednesday.
Before the assassination, Charlie Kirk spoke at Utah Valley University on September 10, 2025 in Orem, Utah. (Trent Nelson/Salt Lake Tribune/Getty Images)
“I lost a friend, a mentor, the one I went to,” Gaines started. “I honestly believe that my intellectual thought and genius are Charlie Kirk, a talent passed down from generation to generation, his influence alone is one person, and what he is able to do through turning points, I am a very proud contributor, I keep talking about it on this show, what he has been doing, what he has been doing, what he has been doing, he is able to transform a country, revitalize a culture.
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Gaines, joins Kirk in the “America Comeback Tour” event San Francisco State University In May, mourn for Kirk’s wife and two young children.
“I lost a friend and a mentor, Erika lost her husband, and I couldn’t help but think of her. It was one of the kindest and compassionate women you can imagine. It was her biggest fear, I mean, I mean we’re talking about her biggest fear, it’s her biggest fear, I’m not going to get stuck in the details there, two children will lose their father.
Like many people who have posted on social media after assassination, Gaines says there is a lack of tolerance for public discourse in the United States
Allison Hemingway competes after Allison Hemingway was shot dead while visiting Utah University in Orem, Utah on Wednesday, September 10, 2025. (Tess Crowley/deseret News AP)
Charlie Kirk’s assassination timeline
“This country has lost the best, most influential activist ever, and I’m not even talking about a conservative activist. I’m talking about both sides,” she said.
Gaines said that despite the tragedy of Kirk’s killing, her shared belief values with Kirk remained “rooted.”
“I’m so grateful, it’s really like something that keeps me–any rooted–knowing Charlie knows Jesus. Kirk did, and lived a life like Christ.”
Riley Gaines speaks at Penn State University. (Riley Gaines)
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Gaines continued to praise Kirk for being “willing to get into the belly of a beast” and yelled at the values he cared about.
Police confirmed on Friday The suspect Kirk was killed was arrested. He was identified as Tyler Robinson, a 22-year-old Utah resident. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said a family member of Robinson contacted a family friend who then reached out to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, “There is information that Robinson admitted to them or suggests that he had committed the incident.”
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