Donald Trump and senior members of his administration have been paying tribute to assassinated conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Tens of thousands of people, many dressed in red, white and blue, filled the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona for the memorial service, which was tightly controlled by tough security measures.
The speakers, including prominent members of Trump’s ‘Make America Great Again’ movement, delivered their tributes from behind bullet-proof glass.
Kirk was gunned down on 10 September during an appearance on a Utah college campus. A 22-year-old man, Tyler Robinson, has been charged with his murder and faces the death penalty if convicted.
Erika Kirk paid tribute to her husband at the service, pledging that the “movement my husband built will not die.”
Erika, who has taken the helm of Kirk’s movement Turning Point, delivered an emotional tribute, looking up at the heavens and mouthing, “I love you,” before speaking about his devotion to Christianity, his family and his activism.
“I want all of you to know, while Charlie died far too early, he was also ready to die,” she said.
“He left this world without regrets. He did 100% of what he could every day.”
Erika Kirk gave an emotional speech at the rally and said she forgives her husband’s killer (Photo: Carlos Barria/Reuters)She also also said she forgave his killer.
“Charlie… wanted to save young men, just like the one who took his life. That young man. I forgive him,” she said.
“I forgive him because it was what Christ did in his. What Charlie would do. The answer to hate is not hate. The answer we know from the gospel is love and always love.”
Trump calls Kirk ‘a martyr for American freedom’
The US president hailed the slain conservative activist as a “martyr for American freedom” and vowed to carry on Kirk’s work.
“Charlie’s murder was not just an attack on one man or one movement — it was an attack on our entire nation,” he said.
“The gun was pointed at him, but the bullet was aimed at all of us.”
Trump used his speech to attack opponents and also trail upcoming political announcements (Photo: Carlos Barria/Reuters)He also blamed the “radical left” for political violence – a line he has repeated since Kirk’s death, which has been widely criticised for stoking further divisions.
“The violence comes largely from the left,” Trump said.
He also used his address to repeat his criticism of late-night US TV host Jimmy Kimmel, saying those who gave their “sick approval, excuses or even jubilation” at Kirk’s death are “major losers.”
He says those commentators are the same who have “been calling facism” over the suspension of late night television host Jimmy Kimmel.
The president echoes his previous comments on Kimmel, telling crowds at the memorial that he has “no talent, no ratings”.
The service often resembled a political rally, with the US president even using it to trail an upcoming announcement.
“Tomorrow we are going to have one of the biggest medical announcements in the history of our country,” he said.
“I think we’ve found the answer to autism,” he told the crowd.
He also announced that Kirk would be awarded America’s “highest civilian honour, the presidential medal of freedom. And we will do the ceremony at our beautiful White House.”
Before he spoke, cameras captured Donald Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk speaking on the sidelines of the event, behind bullet proof glass.
The pair, who had an explosive falling out earlier this year, were seen shaking hands at the end of their conversation.
Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk shake hands during the public memorial service for right-wing activist Charlie Kirk (Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP)In May, Musk dramatically left his government role as a top adviser to Trump after a chaotic period working to overhaul the federal government.
Following his departure he publicly denounced a tax-cut and spending bill, suggested Trump should be impeached, and claimed his former boss is named in files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Trump also lashed out at his former ally, declaring him “crazy”.
JD Vance credits Kirk with changing ‘course of American history’
The US Vice President told the crowd Charlie Kirk was “willing to die for America” as he paid tribute.
“They tried to silence my friend Charlie Kirk,” he said.
JD Vance speaks from behind bullet-proof glass (Photo: Caitlin O’Hara/Reuters)“He transformed the face of conservatism in our own time and in doing so he changed the course of American history.”
He added: “Tonight we speak with Charlie and for Charlie louder than ever.”
“My friends, for Charlie, we must remember that he is a hero to the United States of America. And he is a martyr for the Christian faith.
“Our whole administration is here, but not just because we love Charlie as a friend, even though we did, but because we know we wouldn’t be here without him,” Vance said.
Heightened fears over political violence
The arena, which normally has a capacity of 63,000, appeared completely full for the service.
Crowds of people, many wearing Maga attire, arrived before dawn to secure seats inside the stadium, where they encountered metal detectors amid tight security.
Donald Trump Jr also spoke at the public memorial service (Photo by Patrick T. Fallon / AFP)Other speakers included Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.
Civil rights groups criticised Kirk for rhetoric they described as racist, anti-immigrant, transphobic and misogynistic, while his backers say he was a defender of conservative values and a champion of free speech.
His death has raised fears about the growing frequency of US political violence across the ideological spectrum, while also deepening partisan divides.
During her remarks, Tulsi Gabbard, the US director of national intelligence, tied Kirk’s killing to what she described as a historical pattern in which “political fanatics” eventually turn to violence to defend their ideals.
“They kill and terrorise their opponents, hoping to silence them,” she said. “But in this evil that we have experienced – that Charlie faced – their flawed ideology is exposed, because by trying to silence Charlie, his voice is now louder than ever.”
Some political figures cast Kirk’s death as a pivotal moment in the conservative movement, exhorting followers to finish the work he began in sometimes aggressive language.
“We will carry Charlie and Erika in our heart every single day, and fight that much harder because of what you did to us,” Stephen Miller, the powerful White House adviser, said in a fiery speech.
“You have no idea the dragon you have awakened. You have no idea how determined we will be to save this civilization, to save the West, to save the republic.”
With input from agencies
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