Trump and Tens of Thousands of Americans at Kirk Memorial Service

Donald Trump, President of the United States, takes the stage with Erika Kirk at the memorial service for Charlie Kirk, held at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. (White House photo, September 21, 2025)

[People News] Voice of America reported that on Sunday (September 21), President Donald Trump led tens of thousands of Americans to gather in a football stadium in Glendale, Arizona, to attend the memorial service of assassinated political activist Charlie Kirk.

Trump called his political ally Kirk a “martyr” for American freedom.

“Our greatest communicator of American freedom has now become immortal. He is now a martyr for American freedom,” Trump said, referring to the September 10 assassination of Kirk at Utah Valley University.

“I know, and I speak for all of us here today when I say we will never forget Charlie Kirk, and history will not forget him either.”

President Trump said that killing this man—whom he called “a giant of his generation”—was not only an attack on one person or one movement, but “an attack on our entire nation.”

He reiterated that he would soon award Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom—the highest civilian honor in the United States—at an event in the White House.

Trump stated that the American people stand with the Kirk family, and he embraced Kirk’s widow, Erika.

“Today, the entire nation embraces you and your children with arms full of love—we feel your immense and unbearable sorrow—we pledge that we will do everything in our power to ensure that your children grow up in a land where their father is respected and honored as a great American hero.”

Kirk’s widow Erika delivered a moving speech. She said her husband’s main mission was to save young people, including 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, who has been detained for killing him.

“My husband Charlie—he wanted to save young people, even the one who took his life,” Erika said tearfully.

“That young man… I forgive him. I forgive him because that is what Christ would do, and Charlie would do the same. The answer to hate is not hate. The answer we learn from the Gospel is love.”

She said that on September 10, the day of her husband’s assassination, she personally witnessed his murdered body and described his fatal wounds.

“I saw the wounds that took his life. I felt everything he would have felt—I was shocked, I was terrified, and I felt a heartache unlike anything I had ever known.”

“Charlie did not suffer, even the doctors told me Charlie did not suffer. It happened instantly. Even if he had been in an operating room when he was shot, nothing could have been done… he did not experience pain.”

She described her relationship with her husband as being like “a team working toward the same mission.”

“I was Charlie’s confidante, his vault, his closest and most trusted adviser, and his best friend. I loved him. He respected me every day, and I prayed that I could be the wife God wanted me to be for my husband.”

“Marrying Charlie was the best thing in my life.”

Erika Kirk said she was honored to become the new CEO of Turning Point USA, the organization her late husband founded, saying “the world needs it.”

U.S. Vice President JD Vance said Kirk loved debate, “not because he was good at it, but because it was a way to bring the light of truth into darkness.”

“One truth he brought was this: young people should have a stake in the future, and they should have a voice,” he said.

He praised Kirk’s political influence.

“We know that without him, we would not be here today,” he said. “The organization Charlie built reshaped the balance of our political landscape. Turning Point USA brought millions of young people into dialogue with one another and millions into active advocacy.”

“He is a hero of the United States of America, a martyr for the Christian faith… Charlie, you ran a brilliant race in life, my friend, I love you,” Vance concluded.

Other speakers praised Kirk as a man who faced challenges with courage, changed the course of history, and used his last breath to fight for freedom.

“Charlie Kirk was incredibly influential,” said Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

“I just returned from overseas, and everywhere I went, every country expressed condolences for his passing… At just 31 years old, he had already made enormous contributions,” Rubio said.

“I think he had a tremendous impact on American youth as a whole. I think he had a very special and direct impact on the young people of this country. I believe we will remember his words: ‘Do you want to live a meaningful life? Get married, start a family, and love your country.’”

Kirk, 31, was shot and killed during an event at Utah Valley University on September 10.

The day after the shooting, law enforcement arrested 22-year-old Utah resident Tyler Robinson on suspicion of murder. Utah prosecutor Jeffrey Gray charged Robinson with seven felony counts, including aggravated murder, discharging a firearm causing serious injury, obstruction of justice, and witness tampering.

Gray said Utah also charged the defendant with aggravating factors, as the attack is believed to have been motivated by Charlie Kirk’s political speech. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. Robinson has not entered a plea and is expected to appear in court for a second hearing on September 29.

Meanwhile, both houses of the U.S. Congress passed resolutions late last week commemorating Kirk. The Senate on Friday passed a resolution designating October 14, 2025—Kirk’s birthday—as a “National Day of Remembrance,” known as “Kirk National Memorial Day.”

The House resolution praised Kirk as a “brave American patriot” and condemned political violence, including the assassination of Kirk.

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