President Donald Trump said on Thursday he will award conservative activist Charlie Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation‘s highest civilian honor, after Kirk was killed while speaking at a Utah university on Wednesday.
Trump, speaking at the Pentagon for an event commemorating the Sept. 11 attacks, said he wanted to honor Kirk’s family and his dedication to political activism. The remarks came a day after the Turning Point USA co-founder was shot to death as he spoke to college students at Utah Valley University, prompting a bipartisan condemnation of political violence. The shooter is still at large.
The president said details of the ceremony are still to come, though he expects to see “a very big crowd.”
“Charlie was a giant of his generation, a champion of liberty and inspiration to millions and millions of people,” Trump said. “We miss him greatly, yet I have no doubt that Charlie’s voice and courage he put into the hearts of countless people, especially young people, will live on.”
The award makes Kirk the second recipient of the honor in Trump’s second term. Trump announced earlier this month that he would give former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani the award after Giuliani was seriously injured in a car crash.
Trump was also one of the first people to announce Kirk’s death, describing him in a Truth Social post as “loved and admired by ALL” and that “no one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better.”
Kirk grew close to the Trump family through his conservative youth organization Turning Point USA, developing friendships with Trump, his son Donald Trump Jr., and Vice President JD Vance. Trump has repeatedly suggested he would not have been re-elected had it not been for Kirk’s activism.
“Charlie Kirk will tell you, TikTok helped, but Charlie Kirk helped also,” Trump remarked at an Oval Office swearing-in ceremony for Jeanine Pirro in May, where Kirk was present. “He’s done great, and I appreciate all the help.”
