Trump calls Charlie Kirk 'martyr now for American freedom' at memorial service

President Donald Trump said Charlie Kirk is "a martyr now for American freedom" in front of tens of thousands of his supporters at a memorial service for the conservative activist, less than two weeks after he was killed.

"Our greatest evangelist for American liberty became immortal, Trump said. "He's a martyr now for American freedom."

The 31-year-old co-founder of Turning Point USA was a close ally of Trump and seen as one of the most prominent young leaders within the MAGA movement. His death has reverberated across the Republican Party — from the grassroots through the upper echelons of the White House.

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"While Charlie has been reunited with his creator in heaven, his voice on earth will let go through the generations, and his name will live forever in the eternal chronicle of America's greatest patriots," Trump said. "He will live forever."

Trump spoke after Kirk's widow, Erika Kirk, who said she forgave her husband's alleged killer.

"I forgive him because it was what Christ did and is what Charlie would do," she said. "The answer to hate is not hate. The answer we know from the gospel is love and always love. Love for our enemies and love for those who persecute us."

Trump and Ms. Kirk spoke after a long list of friends, spiritual and political mentors in a service marked by its focus on Kirk's faith, feeling much more like a worship service than a funeral.

Candles and flowers are seen near a portrait of Kirk at a makeshift memorial during a candlelight vigil at Memorial Park in Provo, Utah, on Sept. 12

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Melissa Majchrzak

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AFP via Getty Images

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Kirk's pastor Rob McCoy spoke first and highlighted Kirk's faith above politics. McCoy's son and Kirk's former Chief of Staff Mike McCoy then said Kirk was a martyr.

"Charlie's assassin thought that he could steal and silence his voice by putting a bullet in his neck," McCoy said before quoting a Christian philosopher. "In the words of Soren Kierkegaard, 'The tyrant dies. His rule is over. The martyr dies. His rule has just begun.'"

After a handful of members of President Trump's administration spoke, Vice President Vance took the podium and said Kirk's death will bring about a Christian revival in the United States.

"The evil murderer who took Charlie from us expected us to have a funeral today," Vance said. "And instead, my friends, we have had a revival in celebration of Charlie Kirk and of his Lord Jesus Christ."

The president's son, Donald Trump Jr., also spoke and called Kirk his friend. He said, Kirk embodied the conservative movement in his passion debate and not sinking into violence.

"If we're truly going to honor Charlie properly, his loss cannot be the end of the story," Trump Jr. said. "His legacy must be that when they took his life, a million more Charlies stepped up to fill the void. We are all Charlie."

A line of people reached over a mile long outside the stadium early Sunday morning, according to the City of Glendale Police Department.

Before the event officially started, people were being turned away from State Farm Stadium, which reached capacity.

Some of those trying to attend the memorial service said they arrived on site before the sun rose, standing in line for hours only to be denied entry.

"We could see upwards of between 200,000 to 300,000 people just simply because of the amount of people that we have seen show up," Glendale police communications manager Jose Santiago said before the event started.

A debate on political violence

The late activist's memorial comes just days after prosecutors charged Tyler Robinson, 22, with murdering Kirk as he was speaking at a Turning Point event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, on September 10. In charging documents, authorities cite a text message sent by Robinson in which he allegedly explains why he targeted Kirk, writing, "I had enough of his hatred."

Kirk was known as a campus free speech advocate, beloved by his many followers for creating a space for young Republicans to counter what he saw as more liberal-leaning campus climates. In recent years, he had increasingly espoused and amplified many right-wing Christian views.

He also took some stances that his critics derided as offensive. He was a vocal opponent of transgender rights, for example, and believed the 1964 Civil Rights Act was a "mistake," arguing it has caused a "permanent DEI-type bureaucracy."

Kirk was known as a campus free speech advocate, beloved by his many followers for creating a space for young Republicans to counter what he saw as more liberal-leaning campus climates. In recent years, he had increasingly espoused and amplified many right-wing Christian views.

He also took some stances that his critics derided as offensive. He was a vocal opponent of transgender rights, for example, and believed the 1964 Civil Rights Act was a "mistake," arguing it has caused a "permanent DEI-type bureaucracy."

Kirk launched Turning Point in 2012 at the age of 18 as a space for young conservatives. Since then, the organization has reported more than 1,800 college and high school chapters around the country. At the time of his death, Kirk had amassed a following of millions online and hosted a popular multi-platform program, The Charlie Kirk Show.

Despite initial concerns from some young conservatives about whether Kirk's killing could lessen campus activism, Turning Point has since reported a rise in engagement. As of Thursday, the group announced it has received more than 60,000 requests from high school and college students looking to join or start a school chapter.

Questions about Turning Point's future

Ahead of the 2024 election, the group's advocacy wing Turning Point Action — which does not have a youth-only focus — assisted the Trump campaign with voter turnout efforts in key swing states like Arizona, Michigan and Wisconsin.

Many top Republicans have since credited Kirk with helping boost support for Trump among young people, though his direct impact is hard to quantify.

To his young followers, Kirk's larger impact cannot be overstated. Grieving Gen Z and millennial organizers and content creators have praised the late activist for helping inspire their own political careers. It's something several Republican elected officials have echoed in their own remembrances of Kirk, including Vance, who spoke about how Kirk pushed for him as Trump's running mate.

"If it weren't for Charlie Kirk, I would not be the Vice President of the United States," Vance said while hosting Kirk's show this past week.

While Erika Kirk has been named CEO, asked to lead the Turning Point organization, maintaining Kirk's larger political movement may take a group effort. It's something Vance alluded to on Monday from the host chair.

"Charlie is irreplaceable, but we can at least have a team of people try to step into the gap," he said. "We're not going to let Charlie's mantle be discarded. We're going to keep on carrying it."

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