Thousands gather for Charlie Kirk memorial service with Trump set to speak

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Trump calls it a "very tough day" ahead of memorial service

Mr. Trump told reporters that it's a "very tough day" as he departed the White House on his way to Glendale, Arizona Sunday morning for Kirk's memorial service.

"We're going to celebrate the life of a great man today," the president said, adding, "that something like this could have happened is not even believable."

Mr. Trump said of Kirk's wife and family that he plans to continue to "give them my love."

"There's nothing much you can say," the president said. "You talk about the great things he's done. I mean, he's been amazing — had a tremendous influence for a young man that was… did a great job. He did a tremendous job."

Mr. Trump said Kirk "had a hold on youth because they loved him, they respected him."

10m ago

Erika Kirk tells New York Times that she insisted on seeing her husband in the hospital: "I want to see what they did to my husband"

In an interview with The New York Times that was published Sunday, Charlie Kirk's widow Erika Kirk, said that when she arrived at the Utah hospital after he was shot, she was warned against seeing his body. But, she said she told officials, "I want to see what they did to my husband."

"His eyes were semi-open," Kirk told the Times. "And he had this knowing, Mona Lisa-like half-smile. Like he'd died happy. Like Jesus rescued him. The bullet came, he blinked, and he was in heaven."

She said she had not kissed him before he left that morning, and she kissed him then.

Erika Kirk told the Times about how she and Charlie met and their relationship.

"I'm not saying he was perfect, by any means," she said. "But I knew my expectations and role, and he knew his. I wasn't going to be the nagging wife who he wouldn't want to come home to. I wanted to create a sacred landing space for him. And I think that's why he was always eager to come home."

Erika Kirk also said she did not want to be the one who decided if the alleged shooter got the death penalty.

"I'll be honest. I told our lawyer, I want the government to decide this. I do not want that man's blood on my ledger," she said. "Because when I get to heaven, and Jesus is like: 'Uh, eye for an eye? Is that how we do it?' And that keeps me from being in heaven, from being with Charlie?"

Updated 23m ago

Tight security at Arizona's State Farm Stadium, where memorial service is being held

The memorial service for Charlie Kirk is taking place at State Farm Stadium — normally home to the NFL's Arizona Cardinals. The stadium, which is located in Glendale, near Phoenix, can seat more than 63,000 people.

But police are anticipating that more than 100,000 people may turn out, so Kirk's organization, Turning Point USA, also reserved the venue next door, the Desert Diamond Arena, for overflow. Desert Diamond seats about 18,000.

Organizers said there would be tight security for the event, with "TSA-level screening" for the crowd.

Federal authorities have designated the memorial service as a Special Event Assessment Rating (SEAR) Level 1 event, a senior Department of Homeland Security official said. That designation is used for "significant events with national and/or international importance that require extensive federal interagency support," like the Super Bowl.

Who is speaking at Charlie Kirk's memorial service?

President Trump and Vice President JD Vance are both scheduled to speak at the service for Charlie Krik, as is his widow, Erika Kirk.

Other speakers include:

White House chief of staff Susie Wiles
Secretary of State Marco Rubio
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard
Donald Trump Jr.
Tucker Carlson
Stephen Miller
Sergio Gor

Additional speakers are also expected to be announced.

Updated 23m ago

What to know about Erika Kirk

One of the marquee speakers at the memorial will be Erika Kirk, Charlie Kirk's widow, who has taken on leadership of Turning Point USA following his death.

The couple married in 2021 and had two young children.

Erika Kirk grew up in the Phoenix area and won Miss Arizona USA in 2012. She attended Arizona State University, earned a juris master degree from Liberty University and is pursuing her doctorate there in biblical studies.

She was a frequent presence at Turning Point USA events, where she spoke about politics, religion and her conservative views on family and marriage. She also founded a "faith-based clothing line" called PROCLAIM and a ministry called BIBLEin365.

During an appearance on "The Charlie Kirk Show" earlier this year, Erika Kirk said she was more conservative than her husband — and he agreed.

In her first public remarks after his death last week, she said "the movement my husband built will not die."

On Thursday, the board of Turning Point USA announced it had unanimously selected her as its new CEO and board chair.

Updated 23m ago

At Turning Point USA, Kirk built a movement and stirred controversy

Charlie Kirk was the leader of Turning Point USA, a group for young conservatives that he co-founded in 2012, at the age of 18. A native of the Chicago area, Kirk briefly attended community college but dropped out to pursue political activism full-time.

He was an outspoken and ubiquitous presence in politics, especially for the younger set. He hosted a daily talk radio show and podcast, spread his message on social media and visited scores of college campuses every year, where he was known for hosting rapid-fire debates with left-leaning students.

Kirk frequently drew controversy for his views. He supported Mr. Trump's false claims of voter fraud after the 2020 election, and his group maintained a "Professor Watchlist" of college instructors accused of spreading "leftist propaganda."

He espoused anti-trans rhetoric and amplified the "Great Replacement" conspiracy, the claim that there's a plot to replace White people with minorities.

Turning Point USA, a nonprofit, says it has chapters at thousands of high schools and colleges, and the group's political arm, Turning Point Action, engages in grassroots canvassing.

Updated 23m ago

Charlie Kirk's close ties with Trump and Vance

Kirk's support for President Trump dates back to his first campaign in 2016, and he remained allied with Mr. Trump after he left office under a cloud of controversy following the Capitol riot in January 2021.

In the 2024 presidential race, Kirk's organization, Turning Point USA, was widely credited with helping to energize and mobilize young conservative voters for Mr. Trump.

Kirk also grew close with Donald Trump Jr. after serving as an aide in the 2016 campaign.

"Charlie wasn't just a friend — he was like a little brother to me," Trump Jr. wrote on X.

Vice President JD Vance has credited Kirk with introducing him to Donald Trump Jr. before Vance ran for Senate in 2022, and with advocating "in public and private" for the president to choose Vance as his running mate last year.

Following Kirk's assassination, Vance accompanied Kirk's casket as it was flown from Utah to Arizona aboard the vice president's plane, Air Force Two.

Updated 23m ago