US President Donald Trump hailed conservative activist Charlie Kirk as a “great American hero” and “martyr” during an emotional memorial service attended by tens of thousands in Arizona on Sunday. The event at State Farm Stadium near Phoenix, which drew almost 100,000 people, featured top Trump administration officials and leaders from Kirk’s organisation Turning Point USA.
Kirk, 31, was shot dead on 10 September while debating students at a university in Utah. Authorities have charged 22-year-old Tyler Robinson with his murder, though no motive has been announced. Kirk’s wife, Erika, who has been named the new CEO of Turning Point USA, delivered a tearful address in which she publicly forgave the alleged killer. “My husband wanted to save young men, just like the one who took his life. I forgive him because it is what Christ did,” she said.
Trump, Vice-President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other senior officials took the stage during the five-hour service, which mixed prayer, speeches and music from Christian performers. Supporters, many in MAGA hats and red-white-blue outfits, queued overnight to secure seats. Inside, the atmosphere resembled a political rally, with chants of “U-S-A” erupting as speakers urged the crowd to continue Kirk’s activism.
“He was assassinated because he lived bravely, he lived boldly and he argued brilliantly,” Trump told mourners. “He’s a martyr now for America’s freedom … none of us will ever forget Charlie. And neither now will history.” At times the president pivoted to familiar political themes, attacking the “radical left” and claiming rising violence in US cities. He closed by embracing Erika Kirk on stage.
Speakers described Kirk as a mobiliser of the youth vote and a champion of free speech on college campuses. Clips of his combative campus debates earned him millions of followers on social media and a central role in Trump’s rise among younger voters. While he energised conservatives, his views on gun rights, abortion, transgender issues and Covid-19 also provoked frequent backlash from liberals.
Kirk’s death has intensified political tensions in the US, with many on the right blaming left-wing extremism and critics accusing the Trump administration of using the killing to justify a crackdown on dissent. Robinson faces the death penalty if convicted.
