Sept. 21 (UPI) — President Donald Trump lionized Charlie Kirk during a memorial for the slain conservative activist as he capped a day of remarks and remembrances during an event that was attended by tens of thousands of people and stretched on for more than five hours Sunday in Glendale, Ariz.
During his remarks, Trump called Kirk the “greatest evangelist for American liberty.”
The president quickly veered sharply into party politics as the event took on a decidedly partisan tone, turning it into one that took on the familiar feel of a boisterous Trump campaign rally at State Farm Stadium, home of the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals.
Trump noted his perceived accomplishments while in office, touted his policy on U.S. economic tariffs, criticized former President Joe Biden and widely vilified his political adversaries.
“I hate my opponent and I don’t want the best for them,” Trump said, referencing comments made by Kirk’s widow Erika who had spoken just prior to Trump. “Sorry Erika,” he said to Kirk’s widow, who had called for unity and forgiveness during her remarks.
Vice President JD Vance heralded Kirk as a martyr for his Christian faith, a man who “exemplified kindness, courage, and a commitment to open debate.”
“From this desert, Charlie Kirk built a movement,” Vance said to tens of thousands of attendees. “He transformed the face of conservatism in our own time and, in doing so, he changed the course of American history.”
Vance was among a handful of high level conservatives who gathered to eulogize Kirk, along with Trump and members of his administration, including deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, as well as tech giant Elon Musk and Kirk’s wife, who has assumed the leadership role of Turning Point USA, the organization Kirk co-founded, following his death.
“That young man. I forgive him,” Erika Kirk said of the man who shot her husband. “He wanted to save young men just like the one who took his life,” she said of Tyler Robinson, 22, who admitted to the crime after consultation with a member of the clergy in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints near where the shooting occurred in Orem, Utah, Sept. 10.
Vance said that while Robinson expected Kirk supporters to have a “funeral” Sunday, instead the event would be a “revival.”
“He would encourage us to remember that for every hateful voice celebrating his murder, there are a thousand people mourning it and fighting for his legacy every single day,” Vance continued.
Attendees lined up well before dawn Sunday outside the stadium in preparation for the memorial service.
AZCentral reported that thousands were lined up in the Westgate Entertainment District hours before the start of the 11 a.m. MST service, some before 2 a.m.
The stadium can accommodate 63,000 people, but more than 200,000 responded online for tickets, The Washington Post reported.
The memorial service for Kirk, the 31-year-old co-founder of Turning Point USA who was shot during an appearance at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, drew some of the biggest names in conservative politics.
Security was tight at the event given the high-profile nature of the attendees. The Department of Homeland Security gave the memorial service its highest security designation, usually reserved only for events such as Super Bowl games.
“This designation is reserved for events of the highest national significance and enables the federal government to provide the full range of law enforcement and security resources necessary to support local officials in ensuring a safe and successful event,” an unnamed senior DHS official told the Post.
The Post reported the stadium has received security threats, and officials arrested one armed man allegedly pretending to be a law enforcement official. A representative with Turning Point USA said the man was allegedly conducting “advance security for a known guest” but hadn’t properly coordinated with the Secret Service, The Guardian reported.
Trump departed the White House early Sunday, and was scheduled to to return to Washington on Sunday evening, according to a White House schedule.
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