GLENDALE: Erika Kirk, the widow of slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk, stunned mourners at his memorial on Sunday by offering forgiveness to the 22-year-old man charged with his murder. Citing the Bible’s account of Jesus Christ forgiving his tormentors, she said her husband had devoted his life to saving young men “just like the one who took his life.”
“My husband Charlie wanted to save young men, just like the one who took his life,” she said tearfully, looking heavenward and mouthing, “I love you.” “While Charlie died far too early, he was also ready to die. He left this world without regrets. He did 100% of what he could every day.”
The service at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, drew tens of thousands of mourners, many in MAGA attire, filling the 63,000-seat venue amid tight security. Organised by Kirk’s youth advocacy group Turning Point USA, the memorial mixed the air of a religious revival with partisan politics.
President Donald Trump, who delivered the most divisive speech of the day, hailed Kirk as a “martyr for American freedom” and again blamed the “radical left” for his killing, despite no evidence and before investigators had determined a motive. At one point, Trump contrasted Kirk’s willingness to debate opponents with his own approach: “He did not hate his opponents. That’s where I disagreed with Charlie. I hate my opponents.”
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Other speakers, including White House adviser Stephen Miller, Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, praised Kirk’s influence on the conservative movement. Miller warned, “You have no idea the dragon you have awakened.”
Trump also shook hands with Elon Musk, who had briefly led Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency before stepping away from the role in late May.
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Kirk, 31, was shot dead while answering a question at a Utah campus event. Prosecutors have charged a local 22-year-old student; investigators are examining alleged text messages and bullet casings with engravings that could reference political groups, though the motive remains unclear.
Civil rights groups had long criticized Kirk’s rhetoric as racist and anti-LGBTQ, while supporters hailed him as a defender of free speech. His death has heightened fears over rising political violence in the United States, even as Trump and allies frame it as a rallying cry against the left.