President Trump announced that he will personally attend the memorial service for conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA (TPUSA), will be mourned publicly on September 21 at the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, which can accommodate over 63,000 people.
On Sunday, Trump revealed during a media interview at Joint Base Andrews, “I will depart early next Sunday. We are heading to Arizona, flying on Air Force One, and will be accompanied by some people.”
Trump highlighted Kirk’s efforts in promoting conservative values on campuses, influencing young voters, and impacting the 2024 presidential election. He mentioned, “I have received a significant number of young votes, some of which I attribute to TikTok, and a large part of which I attribute to Charlie.”
Charlie Kirk, aged 31, was fatally shot at an event held on the Utah Valley University campus last Wednesday.
The suspect in the shooting, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, was arrested late Thursday by the FBI and is expected to be formally charged on September 16.
Kirk co-founded Turning Point USA in 2012. The conservative action group currently has 900 official chapters in universities and approximately 1,200 chapters in high schools.
A spokesperson for Turning Point USA, Andrew Kolvet, stated on social media on Sunday, “In the past 48 hours, the organization has received over 32,000 inquiries about establishing new campus chapters.”
Kolvet mentioned that Kirk’s vision is to establish chapters in every high school in America (approximately 23,000 schools). He stated, “This vision will be realized faster than he could have imagined.”
President Trump announced last Thursday his plans to attend a ceremony in honor of Kirk. He also declared while commemorating the 24th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks at the Pentagon that he will posthumously award Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States.
During a vigil event at the Kennedy Performing Arts Center in Washington, D.C., on Sunday evening, several Trump administration officials paid tribute to the conservative intellectual leader.
House Speaker Mike Johnson urged attendees to embody Kirk’s principles and practices, emphasizing, “Charlie loved spirited debates, but he loved people more.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt praised Kirk as a model defender of conservative and Christian values and highlighted the influence of Turning Point USA in the 2024 election.
“President Trump also loves you very much, Charlie,” she said. “Charlie is a bright light in this world consumed by darkness. Everyone in this room, everyone across the nation, must together carry Charlie’s torch.”
National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard recalled visiting college campuses with Kirk and described how he actively sought debates with those holding opposing views. She expressed, “Charlie upheld the principle that, no matter how vile someone’s speech may be, it should be defeated by better ideas, not resorting to violence.”