Takeaways from Charlie Kirk’s emotional memorial service
By Jeremy Herb, Kevin Liptak, CNN
(CNN) — President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and a host of top administration officials vowed Sunday that the mission of slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk would only grow stronger in the wake of his assassination.
At a memorial service in Glendale, Arizona, attended by tens of thousands of supporters, Kirk was repeatedly described as a martyr who would live on through his movement after he was killed at a Utah university 11 days prior.
“He’s bigger now than ever before. And he’s eternal,” Trump said while noting he would award Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Trump headlined the memorial, with a speech that both honored Kirk’s life and delivered many familiar lines from the president’s political rallies, delving into claims about violence from left-wing extremists that most speakers stayed away from Sunday. But it was Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, who drew the biggest response from the attendees, delivering an emotional speech while promising to take up her husband’s mantle.
Sunday’s memorial was a mix of a celebration of Charlie Kirk’s Christian values and a political call to arms not to allow his killing to silence the conservative movement. The Trump administration officials and MAGA stars who spoke fondly remembered the 31-year-old with an uplifting tone and a message of resolve, though a handful also expressed their anger at his murder.
“The evil murderer who took Charlie from us expected us to have a funeral today, and instead, my friends, we have had a revival and celebration of Charlie Kirk and his lord, Jesus Christ,” Vance said to loud applause.
Donald Trump Jr. said Kirk’s “legacy must be that when they took his life, a million more Charlies stepped up to fill the void.”
Here are the takeaways from Kirk’s memorial service:
Trump’s ‘hate’ for his opponents different from Kirk
Trump’s speech at the conclusion of Kirk’s memorial ping-ponged between celebrating the Turning Point USA co-founder’s life and lasting impact on the MAGA movement and the president’s typical political rhetoric attacking his opponents.
Trump made little effort to offer a unifying message in his speech. After a day when most speakers sought to convey messages of resolve and religious faith, Trump diverted at several moments into some of his more political themes, including criticism of his predecessor and boasting about crowd sizes.
He read at points from a teleprompter, but it was evident when he chose to ad-lib. After each diversion, he sought to tie it back to Kirk, such as a planned crime crackdown in Chicago.
“We’re going to go do Chicago, and we’re going to have Charlie very much in mind when we go into Chicago, and we’ll get that one straight,” Trump said.
Trump used the moment to touch on some divisive cultural touchpoints and said his Justice Department was investigating “networks of radical left maniacs who fund organized fuel and perpetrate political violence.”
“Some of the very people who call you a ‘hater’ for using the wrong pronoun were filled with glee at the killing of a father with two beautiful young children,” Trump decried.
In one notable moment, Trump said outright that his philosophy toward his opponents was different from Kirk’s.
“He was a missionary with a noble spirit and a great, great purpose. He did not hate his opponents. He wanted the best for them,” Trump said, before seeming to divert from his script.
“That’s where I disagreed with Charlie. I hate my opponent,” he said. “And I don’t want the best for them.”
Offering a shrugging apology to Kirk’s widow, Trump said it just wasn’t in his DNA.
“Erika, you can talk to me and the whole group, but maybe they can convince me that that’s not right, but I can’t stand my opponent,” he said.
Kirk’s widow vows to continue his mission in moving address
Trump’s address came after Erika Kirk delivered an emotional and powerful speech remembering her husband, vowing to continue his work and offering forgiveness to his assassin.
“He left this world without regret. He did 100% of what he could every day. But I want you to know something: Charlie died with incomplete work, but not with unfinished business,” Erika Kirk said of her late husband.
She described the shock and heartbreak she felt seeing her husband in the hospital after he was assassinated, but also said she felt an overwhelming sense of comfort knowing he did not suffer.
The audience of tens of thousands was rapt as she recounted viewing her husband’s body, staying still and silent while she paused during her speech. The quiet was broken with applause when she said Kirk’s supporters didn’t riot after his death, and as she described new converts to religion inspired by his example.
In one of the most emotional moments of the day, Kirk said she forgave her husband’s accused assassin. She quoted Jesus on the cross, saying: “Father, forgive them, for they not know what they do.”
The statement resonated across the stadium, bringing the crowd to its feet.
“I forgive him because it is what Christ did,” she said, without naming the suspect, Tyler Robinson. She said her husband’s mission had been to save young men from unfulfilling lives “consumed with resentment, anger and hate.”
“He wanted to save young men, just like the one who took his life,” she said, her voice breaking.
Kirk ended her speech by vowing to take the mantle of Turning Point USA, where she’s now serving as CEO and chair of the board. The world, she said, “needs a group that will point young people away from the path of misery and sin.”
“And so, I promise you today, every part of our work will become greater,” she said. Hours after she spoke, she sent a fundraising email expressing her grief and asking recipients to “carry the torch” her husband lit by donating to Turning Point USA.
Charlie Kirk’s widow wasn’t the only one who vowed to carry on his work. Vance, who flew back with Kirk’s body on Air Force Two after he was shot, called on supporters to honor the conservative activist’s life by continuing his fight for faith, truth and country.
“For Charlie, we will rebuild this United States of America to greatness. For Charlie, we will never shrink, we will never cower, and we will never falter, even when staring down the barrel of a gun,” Vance said.
A message of resolve, with flashes of anger
In the days following Kirk’s assassination, there have been calls for retribution against left-wing groups in response to the conservative activist’s killing, including from the president.
But at Sunday’s service, the focus was mostly on continuing and expanding the movement Kirk started — though a handful of speakers veered into the anger.
The varied sentiments from the podium reflected the broader mix of emotions coursing through the conservative movement since Kirk’s death.
“Eleven days ago, as a cowardly assassin crawled on his stomach to end Charlie’s life on Earth, I’m betting Charlie saw the Son of God standing tall to welcome him home,” said Donald Trump Jr., who described Kirk as like a little brother.
“His legacy must be that when they took his life, a million more Charlies stepped up to fill the void,” Trump Jr. continued.
White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller offered the most combative voice, vowing to quash “enemies” and to “prevail over the forces of wickedness and evil.”
Miller said the Trump administration would “channel all of the anger that we have over the organized campaign that led to this assassination to uproot and dismantle these terrorist networks.”
“We stand for what is good, what is virtuous, what is notable. And to those trying to incite violence against us, those trying to foment hatred against us, what do you have? You have nothing,” he said forcefully.
The massive audience at Sunday’s memorial appeared most receptive to the more uplifting messages about Kirk’s message and movement — though some of the fiery rhetoric from Miller and right-wing activist Jack Posobiec was met with cheers as well.
Kirk described as a ‘martyr’ as his faith is celebrated
Kirk was described by multiple speakers as a martyr, one who died while doing his life’s work and whose message would live on long after his death.
The message underscored Kirk’s devout Christian beliefs that infused the political message he preached as head of Turning Point USA while traveling to college campuses across the country.
“You cut down a martyr, his power grows. And that’s what we see,” said right-wing podcaster Benny Johnson. “The power of martyrdom, this is how God and Christ always advances his kingdom, and he’s doing it right now with Charlie Kirk.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth described Kirk as a “a warrior for country, a warrior for Christ,” saying the conservative activist “died the way he lived, speaking the truth.”
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. remembered Kirk’s “devotion to his God” and drew a parallel between the life of the assassinated political activist and that of Jesus Christ.
“Christ died at 33 years old, but he changed the trajectory of history,” Kennedy said. “Charlie died at 31 years old because he had surrendered. He also now has changed the trajectory of history.”
Memorial brings out MAGA establishment — and Trump and Musk together again
Kirk’s memorial was a who’s who of the second Trump administration, past and present — including Elon Musk, the former Department of Government Efficiency chief who has been at odds with Trump in recent months.
Before the president’s speech, Trump and Musk were spotted sitting next to each other in the president’s suite, along with UFC CEO Dana White. During Hegseth’s speech, Trump leaned in and said something to Musk, the two both gesturing and the tech billionaire nodding repeatedly.
The reunion of Trump and his onetime “first buddy” appears to be the first time the two have been seen together publicly since the president honored Musk at the conclusion of his government service with DOGE in May. The two subsequently had a high-profile falling-out on social media over disagreements about the president’s policy agenda bill and threats by Musk to start a new political party.
Kirk was somewhat of a mediator between Musk and Trump after their falling-out. He had remained in touch with Musk, often texting him, including to tell him that his negative rhetoric about the policy bill would harm Trump’s overall agenda, a source told CNN. Musk was receptive to Kirk and his feedback, the source said.
Musk posted a photo on X of his reunion with Trump, with the caption: “For Charlie.”
In his speech, Trump noted all the VIPs who had gathered in Arizona for the memorial, including the vice president, House Speaker Mike Johnson and a number of Republican senators. He praised Kirk’s ability to draw a big crowd.
“This is like an old-time revival, isn’t it?” Trump said.
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CNN’s Maureen Chowdhury, Danya Gainor, Kristen Holmes, Piper Hudspeth Blackburn, Alejandra Jaramillo, Betsy Klein, Alison Main and Zoe Sottile contributed to this report.
