The State Farm Stadium in Arizona was a sea of mourners on Sunday, as friends, family, and conservative stalwarts gathered to pay their respects to Charlie Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA (TPUSA).
The memorial service was a poignant blend of emotional tributes, light-hearted anecdotes, spiritual exhortations, and political commitments.
According to Fox News, the service concluded with a heartfelt speech by President Donald Trump, who lauded Kirk as "our greatest evangelist for American liberty." Trump's tribute to Kirk was a blend of political and Christian themes, as he declared,
"Hes a martyr for American freedom." The president acknowledged Kirk's instrumental role in securing his victory in the 2024 election by galvanizing young voters nationwide.
Trump recounted the surreal moment when he was informed of Kirk's assassination during a TPUSA event. He was in the midst of an Oval Office meeting when the news broke. "He didn't deserve this and our country didn't deserve this," Trump lamented, framing Kirk's assassination as an assault on American democracy.
The President himself has survived two assassination attempts.
In a touching gesture, Trump announced plans to posthumously award Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the nation. Following his speech, he shared a poignant moment with Kirk's widow, Erika, as "America the Beautiful" echoed throughout the stadium.
Erika Kirk received a standing ovation as she took the stage to honor her late husband's legacy. She invoked scripture during her speech, referring to her husband's death as a "total surrender" to "God's will."
Erika, who has been chosen to lead TPUSA, shared her heart-wrenching experience in the aftermath of her husband's death. "I saw the wound that ended his life," she said, revealing that she experienced "a level of heartache that I didn't even know existed."
Despite her grief, Erika urged the audience to reconnect with their faith and attend church. "Being a follower of Christ is not easy, it's not supposed to be," she said, adding that she forgives the man who took her husband's life. "I forgive him because that is what Christ did," she said, her voice heavy with emotion.
The memorial service also featured tributes from several high-ranking Trump administration officials, conservative media giants, and religious leaders. Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard were among those who spoke at the service.
Christian author Frank Turek shared a harrowing account of Kirk's final moments after the Sept. 10 shooting at Utah Valley University. "Charlies been like a son to me," he said, describing the frantic rush to the hospital with Kirk. "His eyes were fixed," Turek said.
"He wasn't looking at me. He was looking past me right into eternity. He was with Jesus already. He was killed instantly and felt absolutely no pain."
The memorial service drew an estimated 90,000 attendees, according to TPUSA. Approximately 70,000 mourners filled the State Farm Stadium to capacity, while another 10,000 joined from overflow venues.
The turnout marked one of the largest public memorial services in recent years.
Charlie Kirk's legacy lives on, not just in the hearts of his loved ones, but in the conservative movement he championed. His death has sparked a revival in faith and a renewed commitment to the principles he held dear.
As the nation mourns, it also resolves to uphold the values Kirk fought for, ensuring that his sacrifice was not in vain.
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