A big banner is put in previous to the Charlie Kirk memorial providers at State Farm Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025, in Glendale, Arizona.
Ross D. Franklin | AP Photo
President Donald Trump and outstanding members of his “Make America Great Again” movement will pay tribute Sunday to conservative activist Charlie Kirk, whose slaying has marked a sign second in America’s fraught political environment.
The memorial service for Kirk, whom Trump credit with enjoying a pivotal position in his 2024 election victory, is anticipated to attract tens of 1000’s of mourners, together with Vice President JD Vance, senior White House officers and younger conservatives formed by the 31-year-old firebrand.
Kirk’s assassination at a Sept. 10 look on a Utah faculty campus has set off a fierce debate about violence, decency and free speech in an period of deep political division. The capturing additionally has stirred worry amongst some Americans that Trump is attempting to harness outrage over the killing as justification to suppress the voices of his critics and political opponents.
The service will happen at State Farm Stadium, the house of the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals west of Phoenix, the place Kirk’s Turning Point group is predicated. Security is anticipated to be tight, with an identical stage of federal regulation enforcement presence as for the Super Bowl or different high-profile occasion.
Comments about Kirk have grow to be a Trump goal
Trump has blamed the “radical left” for Kirk’s demise and threatened to go after liberal organizations and donors or others whom he feels are maligning or celebrating Kirk’s demise.
He criticized House Democrats who voted in opposition to a House decision that praised “the life and legacy” of Kirk, which handed the Republican-controlled House on Friday.
“Who could vote against that? All (Republicans) were saying was ‘Please condemn the assassination of a human being,'” Trump instructed reporters. “And (Democrats) said, ‘No, no, we’re not going to do that.'”
Dozens of individuals, from journalists to academics, have already got misplaced their jobs as outstanding conservative activists and administration officers goal feedback about Kirk that they deem offensive or celebratory. The retaliation has in flip ignited a debate over the First Amendment because the Trump administration guarantees retribution in opposition to those that air what are seen as disparaging remarks within the wake of Kirk’s demise.
ABC pulled Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show off the air indefinitely following backlash from affiliated broadcasters and the Trump-appointed head of the Federal Communications Commission over the comic’s remarks about Kirk.
The State Department additionally has warned it will revoke the visas of any foreigners who celebrated Kirk’s assassination.
A 22-year-old Utah man, Tyler Robinson, has been charged with killing Kirk and faces the demise penalty if convicted of probably the most severe fees. Authorities haven’t revealed a transparent motive within the capturing, however prosecutors say Robinson wrote in a textual content to his associate following the capturing that he “had enough” of Kirk’s hatred.
Kirk’s legacy of conservative political affect
Turning Point, the group Kirk based to mobilize younger Christian conservatives, turned a multimillion-dollar operation beneath his management with huge attain.
The tens of 1000’s anticipated to fill the stadium in Glendale for Kirk’s memorial is a testomony to the huge affect he collected in conservative America.
Kirk was a provocateur who at occasions made statements that some referred to as racist, misogynistic, anti-immigrant and transphobic. That has drawn backlash from conservatives who view the criticism as cherry-picking just a few choose moments to insult the legacy they see of an inspirational conservative chief.
Kirk was a MAGA superstar with a loyal following that turned out to help or argue with him as he traveled the nation for the occasions just like the one at Utah Valley University, the place he was fatally shot. Kirk grew the group, largely, by way of the power of his character and debating chops.
Arizona is the adopted dwelling state of Kirk, who grew up outdoors Chicago and based Turning Point there earlier than transferring the group to Phoenix. Vance, who has stated Kirk’s advocacy was a giant cause Trump picked him to function vice chairman, transported Kirk’s casket from Utah to Arizona aboard Air Force Two the day after his demise, and he later served as a visitor host of Kirk’s podcast.
Scheduled audio system at the service embody Trump, Vance, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. Donald Trump Jr., right-wing commentator Tucker Carlson and White House aides Stephen Miller and Sergio Gor are also slated to talk.
Longtime worship chief Chris Tomlin will present music, together with different massive names in modern Christian music, together with Brandon Lake, Phil Wickham, and husband-and-wife duo Kari Jobe Carnes and Cody Carnes.
Kirk’s widow, who has been named Turning Point’s new chief, additionally will communicate. Erika Kirk pledged in an emotional speech days after his demise that “the movement my husband built will not die.”