Kirk, co-founder of Turning Point USA, was killed by a gunman on September 10 while speaking to a crowd at a university in Utah.
Charlie Kirk receives Medal of Freedom on his birthday
Charlie Kirk was posthumously awarded the Medal of Freedom. His widow Erica Kirk paid a moving tribute.
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump has posthumously awarded the Medal of Freedom to conservative advocate Charlie Kirk, who was killed during a rally in Utah.
The ceremony in the White House Rose Garden on October 14 coincided with Kirk’s 32nd birthday. Immediately after his assassination, both houses of Congress approved resolutions to designate this day as a national day of remembrance.
“We will never forget your husband’s sacrifice for our country,” President Trump said. “Today, we are here to honor and remember the late, great Charlie Kirk, a fearless fighter for freedom, a beloved leader who inspired the next generation like no other American patriot has ever seen, and an American patriot with the deepest convictions, the greatest qualities, and the greatest talent.”
President Trump presented the award to Kirk’s widow, Erica. Erika later became CEO of Turning Point USA, a group co-founded by Kirk. She wiped tears from her eyes as she stood next to President Trump as the quote was read.
“Charlie always said that the next generation will decide whether freedom survives,” Erika Kirk said. “Freedom is the right to live without fear.”
She said her husband prefers quiet birthdays and eats mint chocolate chip ice cream on one out of two days a year. (The other day was Independence Day.)
“Mr. President, I can confidently say that you gave him the best birthday present ever,” Erica Kirk said. “There is no limit to what he sacrificed for freedom.”
The president’s son, Donald Trump Jr., who has worked with Kirk to mobilize young voters, also attended the event. Vice President J.D. Vance and Trump Cabinet members, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and Attorney General Pam Bondi, also attended. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-South Dakota) and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) also attended.
Who was Charlie Kirk?
Kirk founded Turning Point USA in 2012 at the age of 18. The nonprofit champions conservative politics on high school and college campuses.
On September 10, Kirk was killed by a gunman while speaking at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah.
“This was a horrific, heinous, diabolical act of murder. He was assassinated at the peak of his life, boldly speaking the truth,” President Trump said. “Charlie Kirk was a martyr for truth and freedom.”
Kirk has worked closely with President Trump’s “Make America Great Again” campaign, and is credited with helping propel the president to the White House through outreach to young voters. President Trump said he supported Kirk in 2015, before he won his first term, even though he was initially running against more than a dozen rivals for the Republican nomination.
“He said, ‘You’re going to win,'” Trump said. “He helped make that happen.”
The organization has a presence on hundreds of college and high school campuses, hosts conferences, encourages young people to organize around conservative issues, and produces a variety of media, including “The Charlie Kirk Show.”
The group’s mission is to “discover, educate, train, and organize students who advance the principles of fiscal responsibility, free markets, and limited government” and to build “the most organized, active, and powerful conservative grassroots activist network on high school and college campuses nationwide.”
What happened to Kirk’s murder suspect?
The suspected shooter, Tyler Robinson, 22, was arrested in connection with the shooting and was arraigned on September 16 on seven felonies, including aggravated murder, felonious discharge of a firearm, obstruction of justice, and tampering with a witness.
Local prosecutors announced they would seek the death penalty.
