Charlie Kirk memorial in Glendale, Arizona
The memorial event honoring conservative activist Charlie Kirk is being held at State Farm Stadium on Sept. 21, 2025. Get the latest updates from Glendale.
Trump calls Charlie Kirk 'martyr now for American freedom' at memorial service
President Trump said Charlie Kirk is "a martyr now for American freedom" in front of tens of thousands of his supporters at a memorial service for the conservative activist, less than two weeks after he was killed.
"Our greatest evangelist for American liberty became immortal, Trump said. "He's a martyr now for American freedom."
The 31-year-old co-founder of Turning Point USA was a close ally of Trump and seen as one of the most prominent young leaders within the MAGA movement. His death has reverberated across the Republican Party — from the grassroots through the upper echelons of the White House.
"While Charlie has been reunited with his creator in heaven, his voice on earth will let go through the generations, and his name will live forever in the eternal chronicle of America's greatest patriots," Trump said. "He will live forever."
Trump spoke after Kirk's widow, Erika Kirk, who said she forgave her husband's alleged killer.
"I forgive him because it was what Christ did and is what Charlie would do," she said. "The answer to hate is not hate. The answer we know from the gospel is love and always love. Love for our enemies and love for those who persecute us."
Trump and Ms. Kirk spoke after a long list of friends, spiritual and political mentors in a service marked by its focus on Kirk's faith, feeling much more like a worship service than a funeral.
Trump officials praise Charlie Kirk's faith and his mark on the conservative movement
President Donald Trump praised Charlie Kirk as a “great American hero” and “martyr” for freedom as he and other prominent conservatives gathered Sunday evening to honor the slain conservative political activist whose work they say they must now advance.
The memorial service for Kirk, whom Trump credits with playing a pivotal role in his 2024 election victory, drew tens of thousands of mourners, including Vice President JD Vance, other senior administration officials and young conservatives shaped by the 31-year-old firebrand.
“He’s a martyr now for America’s freedom,” Trump said in his tribute. “I know I speak for everyone here today when I say that none of us will ever forget Charlie. And neither now will history.”
Speakers highlighted Kirk’s profound faith and his strong belief that young conservatives need to get married, have children and pass on their values to keep building their movement. They also repeatedly told conservative activists, sometimes in forceful tones, that the best way to honor Kirk was doubling down on his mission to move American politics further to the right.
“For Charlie, we will remember that it is better to stand on our feet defending the United States of America and defending the truth than it is to die on our knees,” Vance said. “My friends, for Charlie, we must remember that he is a hero to the United States of America. And he is a martyr for the Christian faith.”
Kirk’s assassination at a Sept. 10 appearance on a Utah college campus has set off a fierce debate about violence, decency and free speech in an era of deep political division.
The shooting has stirred fear among some Americans that Trump is trying to harness outrage over the killing as justification to suppress the voices of his critics and political opponents.
Charlie Kirk's wife forgives suspect
Those close to Kirk prayed and the floors at the home of the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals shook from the bass of Christian rock bands, as the memorial started with the feel of a megachurch service before veering into something more akin to a political rally.
People began lining up before dawn to secure a spot inside State Farm Stadium west of Phoenix, where Kirk’s Turning Point organization is based. Security was tight and speakers delivered their tributes from behind bullet-proof glass.
The 63,400-seat stadium quickly filled with people dressed in red, white and blue, as organizers suggested.
The mood in the stadium ebbed and flowed throughout a service that stretched more than five hours. Mourners were patient and cordial, even after waiting hours to enter and then an hour or more for food in stadium concession lines.
Kirk's widow, Erika, in her own address said in the midst of her grief she was finding comfort that her husband left this world without regrets. She said she forgives the man who is charged with killing him.
“My husband, Charlie, he wanted to save young men, just like the one who took his life,” said Erika Kirk, who is taking over as Turning Point's leader. She added, “I forgive him.”
Trump, who closed out the service, remarked that Charlie Kirk “did not hate his opponents” and “wanted the best for them," an attribute he found hard to understand.
"That’s where I disagreed with Charlie. I hate my opponent, and I don’t want the best for them," Trump said. "I’m sorry, I am sorry Erika."
Comments about Kirk have become a Trump administration target
Trump has blamed the “radical left” for Kirk’s death and threatened to go after liberal organizations and donors or others who he feels are maligning or celebrating Kirk's death.
Dozens of people, from journalists to teachers to late show host Jimmy Kimmel, have faced suspensions or lost their jobs as prominent conservative activists and administration officials target comments about Kirk that they deem offensive or celebratory. The retaliation has in turn ignited a debate over the First Amendment.
Some speakers at the memorial said Kirk was battling evil and referred to a vague “they” as the enemy. Others were blunt.
“You have no idea the dragon you have awakened, you have no idea how determined we will be to save this civilization, to save the West, to save this republic," said White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller.
Kirk was a provocateur who at times made statements that some called racist, misogynistic, anti-immigrant and transphobic. That has drawn backlash from conservatives who view the criticism as cherry-picking a few select moments to insult the legacy of someone they see as an inspirational conservative leader.
A 22-year-old Utah man, Tyler Robinson, has been charged with killing Kirk and faces the death penalty if convicted of the most serious charges. Authorities have not revealed a clear motive in the shooting, but prosecutors say Robinson wrote in a text to his partner following the shooting that he “had enough” of Kirk's hatred.
Kirk's legacy of conservative political influence
Turning Point, the group Kirk founded to mobilize young Christian conservatives, became a multimillion-dollar operation under his leadership with enormous reach.
The crowd was a testament to the influence he accumulated in conservative America with his ability to mobilize young people.
And the service brought together a veritable who's who of the Republican Party, with numerous current and former lawmakers in the crowd. Elon Musk, the tech billionaire and former top adviser to Trump, was spotted sitting with Trump for part of the service.
Kirk was a MAGA celebrity with a loyal following that turned out to support or argue with him as he traveled the country for the events like the one at Utah Valley University, where he was shot.
Speaker after speaker, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, expressed awe at Kirk's ability to go into what many conservatives saw as the lion's den to make the conservative case: college campuses.
“Why don’t you start somewhere easier,” Rubio recalled thinking when he first heard about Kirk years ago. “Like, for example, communist Cuba?"
'The mood inside the building was very much like a church service'
WAYNE SCHUTSKY: The inside of State Farm Stadium was jam-packed with people. It had reached a capacity crowd and they were diverting other folks over to a nearby arena that was going to livestream the presentation and all of the speakers.
I would say the mood inside the building was very much like a church service. Charlie Kirk’s Christian faith was a big part of his public persona and there was a lot of Christian music being played, a lot of live music and people singing along.
There was a lot of hands in the air, and prayer and other public demonstrations of faith going on as that music played.
And there was also just some logistical issues having to do with the sheer number of people in there. I talked to some people who waited over an hour in line for merchandise. And there were other folks waiting nearly as long to get water and food from some of the stands that were open.
Bathroom lines were another issue. But overall, no one was too upset with those long lines. Everyone there just seemed happy to be part of the group that made it inside.
How Charlie Kirk inspired young conservatives, and why he picked Arizona for Turning Point's home
Charlie Kirk was like many Arizonans, an out-of-state transplant who made his home in the Valley. Here, he expanded a grassroots organization into a nationwide behemoth.
Kirk was known for the way he resonated with young people and drew them to his conservative advocacy group Turning Point USA. Thousands of young adults attended a vigil for him this week at Arizona State University.
Read the full profile from KJZZ.
Some treated for heat-related illness, Glendale police say
City of Glendale Police Department Communications Manager Jose Santiago says State Farm Stadium is now closed to attendees at the overflow arena nearby is filling up.
There have been no arrests or injuries reported so far, according to Santiago. But "some people have been treated for heat-related illness," Santiago said. He did not provide a number.
Trump will lead high-profile lineup honoring Charlie Kirk at Arizona service
President Donald Trump and prominent members of his “Make America Great Again” movement were paying tribute Sunday to conservative activist Charlie Kirk, whose slaying has marked a signal moment in America’s fraught political atmosphere.
The memorial service for Kirk, whom Trump credits with playing a pivotal role in his 2024 election victory, drew tens of thousands of mourners, including Vice President JD Vance, senior White House officials and young conservatives shaped by the 31-year-old firebrand.
“We're going to celebrate the life of a great man today,” said Trump, who told reporters he was bracing for a "tough day" as he left the White House for the service in Arizona.
As many as 300,000 expected for Charlie Kirk funeral
State Farm Stadium reaches capacity
With speakers scheduled to begin in less than an hour, the capacity crowd at State Farm Stadium is listening to a Christian rock performance reminiscent of a worship service. Many people are singing along with hands in the air.
See photos from outside State Farm Stadium in Glendale
15-year-old attending the memorial was in Utah when Kirk was shot
Ricky Scoggan and his 15-year-old son, Boston, were one of the thousands in line waiting to get into Kirk's memorial. Boston said he was actually at the event where Kirk was fatally shot, waiting to speak to him.
"I mean, I just wanted to see him having some debates about political stuff and seeing what questions people would ask him and what the answers to those questions would be. But, just getting to learn more about politics," he said.
His father said attending the event is therapeutic for his son, who is still dealing with trauma from what he witnessed.
"It's a form of therapy for him. He needs to get out here and get some closure," Ricky Scoggan said. " We're standing here in line to go to this so he can experience the better half of humanity."
EDITOR'S NOTE: This post has been updated the correct the spelling of Ricky Scoggan's name.
Lines of people stretch a mile to get into Charlie Kirk funeral
A huge crowd is gathering at State Farm Stadium in Glendale this morning for a memorial service being held for Charlie Kirk — the Valley-based conservative activist who was assassinated last week in Utah. Wayne Schutsky is there and has this report.
WAYNE SCHUTSKY: I’m standing outside of State Farm Stadium, where the memorial will be held in just a few hours. I’m seeing lines of people stretching maybe a mile in one direction, and half a mile in another. Just thousands of people waiting.
The atmosphere is very calm. Everyone seems to understand the security concerns of an event like this with the president being here. And most of the lines are moving at a fairly brisk pace, but there’s so many people here that the lines just seem to grow longer, even as I can see people entering the stadium behind the fence.
Temperatures are supposed to reach over 100 degrees today, but right now it’s overcast and not too hot, at least by Arizona standards.
People seem eager to get into the facility, and most of the people I’ve talked to said they were inspired in some way by Charlie Kirk’s activism. A lot of people mentioned his faith. And I’ve also come across some folks with a more personal connection to this situation. I spoke with Ricky Scoggans and his son, Boston. Boston says he was actually just a few rows in at the event at Utah Valley University where Charlie Kirk was fatally shot.
“I mean, I just wanted to see him having some debates and about political stuff and seeing what questions people would ask him and what the answers to those questions would be. But, just getting to learn more about politics," said Scoggans.
Kirk would debate anyone from both sides of the political aisle and was not afraid to engage with everyone.
MAGA movement will bid farewell to Charlie Kirk with a hometown funeral in Arizona
Tens of thousands of Charlie Kirk's supporters will join with top Republican political leaders on Sunday for the funeral of the right-wing activist, less than two weeks after he was killed.
The 31-year-old co-founder of Turning Point USA was a close ally of President Trump and seen as one of the most prominent young leaders within the MAGA movement. His death has reverberated across the Republican Party — from the grassroots through the upper echelons of the White House.
Mourners gather early outside Glendale stadium
