“Charlie looked at politics as an on-ramp to Jesus,” said Kirk’s pastor Rob McCoy, co-chair of TPUSA Faith. “He knew if he could get all of you rowing in the streams of liberty, you’d come to its source, and that’s the lord.”
Mikey McCoy, who was Kirk’s chief of staff, quoted 19th century Danish theologian Søren Kierkegaard when he said: “The tyrant dies, and his rule is over. The martyr dies, and his rule has just begun.”
President Donald Trump flew in from Washington for the memorial.Credit: AP
The memorial has been likened in scale to a Super Bowl or a presidential funeral.Credit: Bloomberg
Alt-right activist Jack Posobiec said Kirk’s assassination had revealed an ugliness and an evil that would be overcome by love and prayer.
“We will never ever let the left, the media or the democrats forget the name of Charlie Kirk,” he said to raucous applause.
Standing ovations were common. At various times, members of the crowd stood up and raised their arms to the sky, thanking God or Jesus.
An Arizona state trooper walks past a large cross ahead of the memorial service.Credit: Bloomberg
Up the front, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, Attorney-General Pam Bondi and Homeland Security Secretary Tulsi Gabbard were among the members of Trump’s cabinet who attended, along with many other prominent politicians, media figures and business leaders.
Trump flew in from Washington and landed at a nearby Air Force base while the memorial was underway. He arrived at about 12.30pm (5.30am AEST) and was seated behind a bulletproof shield.
