GLENDALE (Realist English). President Donald Trump on Sunday eulogized conservative activist Charlie Kirk as a “martyr for American freedom,” framing his killing as a national threat and pledging to pursue those behind acts of political violence.
“It was an assault on our most sacred God-given liberties and God-given rights,” Trump told a crowd at State Farm Stadium. “The gun was pointed at him, but the bullet was aimed at all of us.”
The president described the accused gunman, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, as a “radicalized cold-blooded monster,” accusing the “radical left” of fueling most political violence. He vowed his Justice Department would “find those who fund and perpetrate these crimes.”
Kirk, founder of the youth-oriented conservative organization Turning Point USA, was shot dead on September 10 while speaking at Utah Valley University. Robinson has been charged with murder.
The memorial drew more than 70,000 mourners clad in red, white, and blue, with an overflow crowd at nearby Desert Diamond Arena. The event mixed Christian imagery of martyrdom with patriotic themes, blending the atmosphere of a Trump rally, a Turning Point gathering, and an evangelical worship service. Popular Christian musicians led the audience in song, while voter registration tables dotted the venue under the slogan: “Charlie wants you to register to vote.”
Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, speaking before Trump, tearfully forgave her husband’s killer and pledged to carry on his mission as the new CEO of Turning Point USA. “My husband wanted to save young men, even men like the one who took his life,” she said. “The answer to hate is not hate. The answer we know from the Gospel is love — love even for our enemies.”
Trump’s 45-minute address capped a lineup of senior administration officials, including Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Business leaders and allies, including Elon Musk and UFC chief Dana White, were also present.
Vance described the service as a revival rather than a funeral: “They tried to silence our friend Charlie Kirk, and tonight, we speak with Charlie and for Charlie louder than ever.”
The tone of the memorial was both mournful and defiant, reflecting themes now intensified by Kirk’s death — Christian faith, free speech, the threat of “left-wing extremism,” and the stakes of the upcoming midterm elections.
“He’s a martyr now for American freedom,” Trump declared. “None of us will ever forget Charlie Kirk — and neither now will history.”