India, Sept. 23 -- Erika Kirk's first address to the nation after her husband Charlie Kirk's assassination highlighted the tension between public performance and personal grief. Of all the things she said, what stood out was how she explained Kirk's absence to their daughter.

Erika and Charlie Kirk share two children - a son who turned 1 in May and a daughter who turned 3 in August. In her September 12 address, Erika revealed what she told her daughter after the assassination. "When I got home last night, our daughter just ran into my arms ... and she said, 'Mommy, I missed you.' I said, 'I missed you too, baby.' She goes, 'Where's daddy?'" Erika said. "What do you tell a 3-year-old? She's three. I said, 'Baby, daddy loves you so much. D...