Trump calls Charlie Kirk an ‘American hero’ and says he ‘hates’ opponents at memorial: Live updates
President Donald Trump paid tribute to Charlie Kirk at the late conservative activist’s memorial service at the State Farm Stadium in Arizona.
In a politically-charged speech, Trump announced he would posthumously award Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Erika Kirk, his widow, who has taken on leadership of Turning Point USA, took the stage just before the president, and told the huge crowd she forgives her husband’s killer.
Other speakers included Vice President JD Vance; Marco Rubio, Secretary of State; Pete Hegseth, Secretary of Defense; Tulsi Gabbard, Director of National Intelligence; Susie Wiles, White House Chief of Staff; and Stephen Miller, Deputy Chief of Staff.
Vance said Kirk changed the course of American history with the movement he created. Miller warned the left that the “dragon” is awakened and in death, Kirk is immortalized.
More than 200,000 are believed to have turned up, but the stadium, home of the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals, has a maximum capacity of 73,000 for large events, plus 19,000 in a nearby overflow arena.
Security for Sunday’s service in Glendale, a suburb of Phoenix, was raised to the level typically reserved for Super Bowls, and speakers stood behind bulletproof glass.
