The US president is addressing the audience gathered at a football stadium in Glendale, Arizona
US President Donald Trump lauded the late conservative podcaster and activist Charlie Kirk as one of the “giants of our generation,” acknowledging his influence and legacy in remarks following Kirk’s memorial service.
Kirk, who co-founded conservative action group Turning Point USA at just 18 years old, was fatally shot by a sniper on September 10 while speaking to students at a college in Utah.
Delivering a speech at Charlie Kirk’s memorial service in Glendale, Arizona, Trump stated that the country had lost “one of the brightest lights of our times.”
He asserted that Kirk was “heinously murdered by a radicalized, cold-blooded monster for speaking the truth that was in his heart.”
“He was violently killed because he championed freedom and justice, for God, country, for reason, and for common sense,” Trump remarked.
“He is a martyr for American freedom,” Trump further stated. “None of us will ever forget Charlie Kirk, and neither will history.”
President Trump:
Our greatest evangelist, Charlie Kirk, became immortal — “He’s a martyr now for American Freedom”
— MJTruthUltra (@MJTruthUltra)
Kirk rose to prominence through touring college campuses and debating students, with his confrontations with left-leaning opponents frequently becoming viral on social media. He met with Trump on multiple occasions and was widely recognized for galvanizing young conservative voters, contributing to Trump’s successful 2024 re-election campaign.
Tyler Robinson, a Utah resident, has been charged with Kirk’s murder. According to the prosecution, Robinson held left-wing and pro-LGBTQ views and admitted to the crime via text messages sent to his transgender partner.