WASHINGTON (States Newsroom) — President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and several Cabinet officials spoke at a five-hour memorial ceremony Sunday in Arizona for the late conservative political activist Charlie Kirk, whom Republicans are mourning as a friend and crediting as a force behind Trump’s second presidency.
Trump told a packed stadium, “America loved Charlie Kirk.”
“It is agonizing and unthinkable to say goodbye to a patriot whose heart still had so much to give,” Trump said.
The president described the suspected gunman who authorities say targeted Kirk as a “radicalized, cold-blooded monster.”
Trump praised Kirk and said it was the activist’s influence that helped him choose Vance as vice president. Interspersed in his comments about Kirk, Trump aimed insults at what he described as “radical left lunatics,” promoted his anti-crime campaign and teased a forthcoming announcement from the administration regarding autism.
Vance spoke about his friendship with Kirk and attributed the electorate’s swing to conservatism to Kirk’s outreach, saying Kirk “changed the course of American history.”
Vance joined Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi in recent days calling for consequences for Americans who criticized Kirk following his death. During his remarks at the memorial, Vance said he saw “the very worst parts of humanity” in comments and social media posts.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recounted meeting Kirk a decade ago when “he was building a movement.”
“I still have this sticker (that reads) ‘Big Government Sucks,’” Hegseth said, recalling an early campaign slogan for Turning Point USA, the organization Kirk co-founded in 2012.
Stephen Miller, White House deputy chief of staff for policy, said those devoted to Kirk will “defeat the forces of darkness and evil.”
“You thought you could kill Charlie Kirk. You made him immortal,” Miller said.
Kirk’s wife Erika Kirk confirmed she will now sit at the helm of Turning Point USA as the nonprofit’s CEO after several speakers who heralded the organization’s future alluded to the change.
In an emotional speech, she told those in attendance that she has forgiven the suspected shooter.
“I forgive him because it was what Christ did. It is what Charlie would do, the answer to hate is not hate,” Erika Kirk said.
During his remarks, Trump jokingly apologized to Erika because he said he “can’t stand” his opponents.
Kirk “did not hate his opponents. He wanted the best for them. That’s where I disagreed with him. I hate my opponents and don’t want the best for them. I’m sorry, Erika,” Trump said.
Musk, members of Congress in attendance
The memorial service began at 11 a.m. Mountain time at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, which seats upwards of 60,000.
A large painting of Kirk, who was fatally shot 11 days ago at age 31, was displayed on stage. Large LED screens played videos and displayed photos of the activist, who was very influential among Republicans and conservatives.
A seven-piece band backed Christian singer Chris Tomlin as Trump administration officials walked onto the floor of the stadium. Cameras captured the entrances of Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. All delivered speeches.
Billionaire Elon Musk, a major donor to Trump’s 2024 campaign and the former leader of Trump’s government efficiency project, entered the stadium to cheers, according to CNN. Cameras caught Trump and Musk shaking hands and apparently speaking while seated together prior to Trump’s remarks.
Current and former U.S. senators and representatives were among members of the audience, including former Florida U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz.
A U.S. military color guard displayed flags during the national anthem.
The memorial service was livestreamed and is available on C-SPAN.
Journalists outside the stadium reported thousands of people lining up early, hoping to attend the ceremony.
Kirk was fatally shot by a suspected lone gunman on Sept. 10 while he was speaking at Utah Valley University, according to authorities, who are seeking the death penalty. NBC reported Saturday that law enforcement officials have not found any link between Kirk’s shooting and left-wing groups.
Utah native Tyler Robinson, 22, is charged with seven counts, including aggravated murder, violent offense in the presence of a child, and witness tampering.
Authorities say Robinson sent text messages about “hatred” to his roommate following the shooting. Charging documents say Robinson’s parents recounted their son’s recent interest in LGBTQ rights and that he had started to “lean more to the left.”
Charlie Kirk called a ‘martyr’
Speakers praised Kirk’s work and at numerous points during the ceremony referred to him as a “martyr” for the conservative movement and Christianity.
Far-right YouTube commentator Benny Johnson referred to Kirk’s “revival spirit” and influence in spreading a Christian worldview.
“Charlie Kirk is a martyr in the true Christian tradition. You take out a tyrant, his power goes away. You cut down a martyr, his power grows,” Johnson said.
Johnson called out Trump administration officials in the crowd as “rulers of our land.”
“May we pray that our rulers here, rightfully instituted and given power by our God, wield the sword for the terror of evil men in our nation, in Charlie’s memory. I want to live in a country where the evil are terrified, and where the good and the faithful and the moral people of our nation can live in peace, debate in peace, disagree in peace and start families in peace.”
GOP Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida said she owed her political career to Kirk, who hired her to do outreach to young Hispanic voters.
“These were the sparks that lit the path for me on the eve of my departure to medical school to decide to change course and join TP USA, where I could help Charlie battle the socialist indoctrination on college campuses,” Luna said.
The U.S. House passed a resolution Friday honoring Kirk, supported by all Republicans and 95 Democrats.
Presidents and memorial services
It is notable for a sitting president, vice president and multiple Cabinet members to deliver remarks at a memorial service for a private citizen. Trump ordered flags lowered after Kirk’s death.
Trump spoke, along with Republican congressional leaders, at the U.S. Capitol in 2018 at a memorial for the late evangelist Billy Graham, who had relationships with U.S. presidents going back decades, with Graham lying in honor in the Capitol Rotunda. Trump ordered flags at half-staff.
President Barack Obama delivered the eulogy for the nine victims of the racially motivated mass shooting at the Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. Notably, Obama spontaneously sang “Amazing Grace.” Obama did not order flags lowered following the massacre.
Kirk maintained professor watch list, hosted podcast
Kirk was born in 1993 in the Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights.
He co-founded Turning Point USA, aiming to mobilize conservative youth and young adults on high school and college campuses.
Kirk toured campuses across the U.S. speaking on contemporary hard-right topics, including anti-LBGTQ positions and encouraging young women to retreat from careers and return home.
Among the organization’s projects was the “Professor Watchlist” that published the names of professors across the country in searchable format by categories including “anti-Christian views,” “feminism,” “climate alarmist,” and “racial ideology,” according to its web page.
Kirk hosted “The Charlie Kirk Show,” a successful daily radio show and podcast. Devoting an entire episode in July to the Jeffrey Epstein case, Kirk was among those in Trump’s voter base to urge the president to release more information about the federal investigation into the late financier and convicted sex offender.
Kirk’s work garnered attention beyond the United States. Rev. Rob McCoy, Kirk’s pastor, recounted a recent trip to South Korea
“Charlie looked at politics as an on-ramp to Jesus,” McCoy told the crowd.
Turning Point USA Inc., which has been tax exempt since 2014, reported $84.9 million in revenue in 2024, according to the organization’s publicly available 990 tax forms published on ProPublica’s Nonprofit Explorer.
