Trump praises Charlie Kirk as a ‘martyr’ for freedom at packed stadium memorial
-
Click here to listen to this article - Share via
- The 63,400-seat State Farm Stadium is filled with mourners for a memorial service honoring slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
- President Trump praises Kirk as a “great American hero” and “martyr ... for America’s freedom.”
- Kirk’s killing has ignited debate over political violence as the Trump administration retaliates against public comments it deems disparaging.
GLENDALE, Ariz. — President Trump praised Charlie Kirk as a “great American hero” and “martyr” for freedom as he and other prominent conservatives gathered Sunday to honor the slain political activist whose work they say they must now advance.
The memorial service for Kirk, whom Trump credits with playing a pivotal role in his 2024 election victory, drew tens of thousands of mourners, including Vice President JD Vance, other senior administration officials and young conservatives shaped by the 31-year-old firebrand.
“He’s a martyr now for America’s freedom,” Trump said in his tribute. “I know I speak for everyone here today when I say that none of us will ever forget Charlie. And neither now will history.”
- Share via
Speakers highlighted Kirk’s profound faith and his strong belief that young conservatives need to get married, build families and pass on their values to keep advancing their movement.
“For Charlie, we will remember that it is better to stand on our feet defending the United States of America and defending the truth than it is to die on our knees,” Vance said. “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.”
Kirk’s killing at a Sept. 10 appearance on a Utah college campus has become a singular moment for the modern-day conservative movement. It also has set off a fierce national debate about violence and free speech in an era of deepening political division.
The shooting has stirred concern among some Americans who say that Trump is harnessing outrage over the killing as justification to suppress the voices of his critics and target political opponents.
High security and a full stadium
Those close to Kirk prayed and the floors shook from the bass of Christian rock bands as the home of the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals took on the feel of a megachurch service.
“Charlie looked at politics as an onramp to Jesus,” said the Rev. Rob McCoy, Kirk’s pastor.
People began lining up before dawn to secure a spot inside State Farm Stadium west of Phoenix, where Kirk’s Turning Point organization is based. Security was tight, similar to the Super Bowl and similar high-profile events. The speakers delivered their tributes from behind bulletproof glass.
The 63,400-seat stadium quickly filled with people dressed in red, white and blue, as organizers suggested.
Kirk’s widow, Erika, said in her own address that in the midst of her grief she was finding comfort that her husband left this world without regrets. She also said she forgives the man suspected of killing him.
“My husband, Charlie, he wanted to save young men, just like the one who took his life,” said Erika, who is taking over as Turning Point’s leader. She added: “I forgive him.”
Trump targets comments
Trump has blamed the “radical left” for Kirk’s death and threatened to go after liberal organizations and donors or others he deems to be maligning Kirk or celebrating his death.
Many people, including journalists, teachers and late-show host Jimmy Kimmel, have faced suspensions or lost their jobs as prominent conservative activists and administration officials target comments about Kirk that they deem offensive. The retaliation has in turn ignited a debate over the 1st Amendment as the Republican administration promises retribution against those who air remarks it deems disparaging.
Kirk was a provocateur who at times made statements seen by many as racist, misogynistic, anti-immigrant and transphobic. That has drawn backlash from some conservatives who cast the criticism as cherry-picking a few select moments to insult the legacy of someone they see as an inspirational leader.
A 22-year-old Utah man, Tyler Robinson, has been charged with killing Kirk and faces the death penalty if convicted of the most serious charges. Authorities have not revealed a clear motive in the shooting, but prosecutors say Robinson wrote in a text to his partner after the shooting that he “had enough” of what he considered to be Kirk’s hatred.
Kirk’s legacy
Turning Point, the group Kirk founded to mobilize young Christian conservatives, became a multimillion-dollar operation under his leadership, with enormous reach.
The crowd was a testament to the massive influence Kirk accumulated in conservative America with his ability to mobilize young people.
Kirk was a MAGA celebrity with a loyal following that turned out to support or argue with him as he traveled the country for the events like the one at Utah Valley University, where he was shot. Kirk expanded the organization, in large part, through the force of his personality and debating chops.
“He slayed ignorance,” Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard told the crowd. “He cut through lies. He woke people’s minds, inspired people’s hearts and imparted wisdom every day.”
Speaker after speaker, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, expressed their admiration for Kirk’s ability to go into what many conservatives saw as the lion’s den to make the conservative case: college campuses.
“Why don’t you start somewhere easier?” Rubio said, recalling what he said jokingly when he first heard about Kirk years ago. “Like, for example, communist Cuba?”
Cooper, Garcia, Madhani and Kinnard write for the Associated Press. Cooper, Garcia and Kinnard reported from Glendale, Madhani from Washington. AP writers Tiffany Stanley in Washington, Silvia Stellacci in Rome, Terry Tang and Jesse Bedayn contributed to this report.
More From the Los Angeles Times
Podcasts
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recently approved California’s request to extend housing assistance to survivors of the Eaton and Palisades fires. But more than 18 months after those January 2025 fires, survivors are still waiting on an additional $16 billion in federal disaster relief from the federal government, which was revised down earlier this year from nearly $34 billion.
The Hillside Strangler murders terrorized Los Angeles in the late 1970s. The killers were a pair of sadistic cousins. One confessed. The other was set to stand trial—until L.A. prosecutors flinched.
Modern LA earned its first smoggy nickname 450 years ago, as the “bay of smokes.” At the La Brea tar pits, we take a short walk through a long history with curator Regan Dunn, who explains how and why the first Angelenos would have set fires that filled the broad bowl of LA and foretold the curse of smog.
