President Donald Trump announced Thursday that he will award Charlie Kirk the nation’s highest civilian honor, a day after the conservative activist was killed while addressing students at Utah Valley University.
Speaking at the Pentagon during a solemn 9/11 remembrance ceremony, Trump opened his remarks by honoring Kirk’s life and legacy.
“Before we begin, let me express the horror and grief so many Americans feel at the heinous assassination of Charlie Kirk,” Trump said. “Charlie was a giant of his generation, a champion of liberty and an inspiration to millions and millions of people.”
Trump said Kirk, 31, will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously. “The date of the ceremony will be announced,” he said, adding, “and I can only guarantee you one thing, that we will have a very big crowd.”
Kirk, who rose from political neophyte to central figure in Trump’s political orbit, co-founded Turning Point USA and spent much of the past decade touring the country, cultivating support on college campuses for conservative causes. He was a close ally of Trump, Donald Trump Jr., and Vice President JD Vance, and was widely credited with helping the president make inroads with young voters ahead of the 2024 election.
Trump’s announcement comes as the White House and the broader conservative movement reels from Kirk’s killing, the latest in a string of violent political attacks this ye
