- President Donald Trump gave the country's highest civilian honor posthumously to Charlie Kirk.
- Erika Kirk received the award for her husband at a White House ceremony.
- The event was attended by Trump's Cabinet and conservative commentators.
President Donald Trump awarded Charlie Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously on Tuesday during a White House Rose Garden ceremony that coincided with the slain conservative organizer’s 32nd birthday.
Trump returned home Tuesday from a whirlwind trip to the Middle East, where he led world leaders in signing a Gaza peace plan, to pay tribute to Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, who was assassinated at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10.
“We’re here to honor and remember a fearless warrior for liberty, a beloved leader who galvanized the next generation like nobody I’ve ever seen before,” Trump said. “Charles James Kirk was a visionary and one of the greatest figures of his generation.”
The highest civilian award in the U.S. was accepted by Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk. Since her husband’s murder, Erika has become the face of Turning Point USA as the organization’s newly named CEO who shocked the nation with her public forgiveness of Kirk’s killer.
Turning Point doubles since assassination
Kirk’s impact on the country will expand after his death through Turning Point, Erika said. The number of Turning Point chapters at universities and high schools doubled in the month after Kirk’s death, according to Turning Point spokesperson Andrew Kolvet.
During the five weeks since Kirk was shot at a “Prove Me Wrong” campus debate in Orem, Utah, Turning Point USA received 130,000 inquiries for new chapters, increasing their presence on campuses from 900 to 1,700, and at high schools from 1,200 to 3,000.
Last week, Kolvet told News Nation’s Chris Cuomo that Turning Point USA, which hosts conservative speakers, registers young voters and provides civics education resources, now totals over 800,000 members in their student network.
“You are the heartbeat of this future and of this movement. Everything that Charlie built, you guys are the legacy holders of that,” Erika Kirk said. “You are living proof that his mission did not die with him.”
Trump has often credited Kirk as one of the most notable contributors to his 2024 victory. On Tuesday, Trump promised his administration would continue to “win” in Kirk’s honor, including by “dismantling the networks” that fund left-wing violence in the U.S.
Taking a similar tone to his speech at Kirk’s memorial service, Trump accused “far left radicals” of increasing the threat of political violence, and questioned whether Kirk really loved his enemies, to which Erika responded by confirming that her husband “did pray for his enemies.”
The event, held in the newly remodeled Rose Garden, was attended by family members of Kirk, Turning Point staff, much of Trump’s Cabinet, Vice President JD Vance and several Republican members of Congress, including Utah Sen. Mike Lee.
Also in attendance were some of the biggest names in conservative media, including Bill O’Reilly, Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck, Laura Ingraham, Tucker Carlson and Jesse Watters, who have spent much of the past month commenting on Kirk’s life and death.
In his remarks, the president eulogized Kirk as a martyr, recalled his involvement in the 2016 and 2024 election campaigns and promised to support Kirk’s wife, who was left to mother two small children on her own.
“We’re entering his name forever into the eternal roster of true American heroes,” Trump said. “He’s a true American hero, an amazing person way, way beyond his years.”
Following the Rose Garden ceremony, Trump brought Erika Kirk to the Oval Office where he signed a proclamation declaring Oct. 14 as the National Day of Remembrance for Charlie Kirk.
Turning Point event at Utah Capitol
A few hundred students from Brigham Young University and Utah Valley University who are involved in Turning Point USA filled the Utah Capitol Building rotunda on Tuesday night to echo the values of faith, freedom and family that Kirk espoused.
“Tonight we’re picking up the mic and carrying forward this message louder and bolder than ever before,” said TPUSA Provo chapter president Aubree Farmer. “We were born for such a time as this, and it’s time for people to start listening.”
Turning Point’s Provo chapter, which includes students who attend BYU, is one of the largest in the country, according to regional representative, Paige Adams. A chapter spokesperson said it added over 1,500 students in the two weeks after Sept. 10.
Tuesday’s event focused on student voices, including UVU’s chapter president Caleb Chilcutt, who was with Kirk minutes before he was shot at UVU.
The students’ messages included expressions of faith, with many citing their beliefs as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as the foundation for their political views.
Chilcutt referenced the church’s “The Family Proclamation” as a standard of truth young people should promote. The Provo chapter vice president Jaxon Thurman shared how his religion teaches the importance of defending universal truths. Student Reeve Brisco talked about how his church mission to Mexico was a turning point for him.
The church has issued statements declaring itself strictly “neutral in matters of party politics.” The general handbook says, “The Church does not endorse any political party or candidate. Nor does it advise members how to vote.”
Speakers at Tuesday night’s event included U.S. Rep. Celeste Maloy, of Utah’s 2nd Congressional District; Rep. Mike Kennedy, of Utah’s 3rd District; U.S. Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas; Utah Attorney General Derek Brown; Utah Senate President Stuart Adams and Utah House Speaker Mike Schultz.
Kennedy called Kirk “a martyr for freedom of speech,” while Gill praised the young people in attendance for not taking their freedom for granted. Maloy recognized them for showing courage amid violence targeting Utah and Latter-day Saints.