Donald Trump called Charlie Kirk “one of the brightest lights of our times” and the “greatest evangelist for American liberty” during his speech at the conservative activist’s public memorial at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. The event had the energy of a tent revival, several speakers observed.
Kirk, the far-right influencer and founder of Turning Point USA who helped boost Republican support among young people, was fatally shot at an event in Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah.
“His voice on earth will echo through the generations, and his voice will echo in the eternal chronicle of America’s greatest patriots,” Trump said at the Sunday memorial, adding that Kirk was killed by a “radicalized cold-blooded monster.”
Before departing for the Phoenix event, Trump told reporters at the White House that he was looking forward to the memorial as “a time of healing, a time of whatever.” Approximately 95,000 people attended the event in the stadium and overflow arena, NBC News reported.
Trump during his speech praised Kirk as “inspired by faith and love of freedom.” He and several other speakers, including Vice President J.D. Vance, called him a “martyr.”
“Our greatest evangelist for American liberty became immortal,” Trump said. “He’s a martyr now for American freedom.”
Trump argued for a “spiritual reawakening” in alignment with Kirk’s vision. “We have to bring back religion to America because without borders, law and order, and religion, you really don’t have a country anymore. We want religion brought back to America. We want to bring God back into our beautiful U.S.A. like never before. We want God back.”
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Vance called the event “a revival in celebration of Charlie Kirk and of his lord Jesus Christ,” echoing the comments of many speakers who addressed the crowd before him. Speakers — faith leaders and members of the Trump administration alike — preached the gospel. Near voter registration forms, flyers announced, “Don’t just pray for change, vote for it!”
“I have talked more about Jesus Christ in the past two weeks than I have in my entire time in public life,” Vance said. “That is an undeniable legacy of the great Charlie Kirk.”
“Most of all, Charlie brought the truth that Jesus Christ was the king of kings,” the vice president added. “And that all truth flowed from this first and most important one.”
As The New York Times’ Elizabeth Dias observed, the memorial was a “pinnacle event reflecting how conservative Christianity has fused with Republican politics in the Trump era.”
Even Fox News commentator Kayleigh McEnany, who served as press secretary in Trump’s first administration, commented on the religiosity of the speakers’ remarks. “To see the secretary of state give a gospel message, and the secretary of war give a gospel message, and the son of the president Donald Trump Jr. tell the story of the first martyr, St. Stephen — amazing,” she said during the network’s coverage of the memorial. “I don’t think we’ve ever seen this from an administration ever.”
Health and Human Services Sec. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. compared Kirk to Christ directly: “Christ died at 33 years old, but he changed the trajectory of history,” he said. “Charlie died at 31 years old, but because he surrendered, he also now has changed the trajectory of history.”
“Every one of us needs to be a warrior like Charlie,” Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard told the crowd.
Far-right influencer Jack Posobiec praised Kirk as having “saved western civilization.”
“Our civilization will endure. The United States of America will endure. For Charlie, we will continue the mission… For Charlie, Turning Point USA will last forever,” Posobiec said. “And we will come to find that in the final moment that Western civilization was saved through Charlie’s sacrifice in the only way possible, by returning the people to almighty God.”
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller gave a speech with his characteristic flair, comparing his party’s political opponents to wicked and evil forces: “We will prevail over the forces of wickedness and evil,” he said. “They cannot imagine what they have awakened. They cannot conceive of the army that they have arisen in all of us. Because we stand for what is good, what is virtuous, what is noble. And to those trying to incite violence against us, those trying to foment hatred against us — what do you have? You have nothing. You are nothing. You can build nothing. You can produce nothing. You can create nothing.”
Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, who will succeed her husband as Turning Point USA’s CEO, said that Charlie “wanted to save young men, just like the one who took his life.”
“That young man,” an emotional Kirk said of the man, Tyler Robinson, who allegedly shot her husband. “I forgive him. I forgive him because it was what Christ did and is what Charlie would do.”
Trump struck a different, less accepting chord. “[Charlie] did not hate his opponents. He wanted the best for them,” he said. “That’s where I disagreed with Charlie. I hate my opponent, and I don’t want the best for them. I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Erika.”
Trump: He did not hate his opponents. He wanted the best for them. That’s where I disagreed with Charlie. I hate my opponent and I don’t want the best for them. I’m sorry pic.twitter.com/GUiW7NBb0y
— Acyn (@Acyn) September 21, 2025
Trump also claimed without evidence that “the violence comes mostly from the left,” days after his Justice Department removed a study from its website concluding that far-right extremists commit “far more” violence than extremists who support the far left or radical Islam.
Authorities announced in charging Robinson in Kirk’s killing that Robinson’s mother said he was dating his roommate, a trans woman. Authorities say Robinson admitted to his roommate that he killed Kirk, and when the roommate asked why he did it, he replied, “I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can’t be negotiated out.”
Trump: The violence comes largely from the left. You don’t hear that from too many people, do you? pic.twitter.com/8MVpLWdvqe
— Acyn (@Acyn) September 21, 2025
“The Department of Justice is also investigating network of radical left maniacs who fund, organize, fuel, and perpetrate political violence. And we think we know who many of them are,” Trump said.
Federal investigators have reportedly not found any evidence linking Robinson to left-wing groups.
Trump: The department of justice is also investigating network of radical left maniacs who fund organized fuel and perpetrate political violence. And we think we know who many of them are pic.twitter.com/H5eY5OmMzf
— Acyn (@Acyn) September 21, 2025
The president did not miss the opportunity to praise himself and his administration. He applauded the money he says the U.S. is bringing in thanks to his administration’s tariffs and previewed an upcoming announcement about autism, claiming, “I think we found an answer to autism… So we won’t let it happen anymore.”
At this point in the speech, hundreds of attendees started moving toward the exits, according to The New York Times. Many had to wait hours in line starting early in the morning to enter the stadium for the service, as public admission was allowed on a first-come, first-served basis.
From Rolling Stone US
