Grief mingled with resolve Sunday afternoon as friends, family and conservative heavyweights gathered at a packed State Farm Stadium in Arizona to honor the life of Charlie Kirk.
From emotional tributes to playful stories, to spiritual calls and political pledges, here are the top moments from his memorial service:
1. President Donald Trump calls Charlie Kirk a ‘martyr for American freedom’
President Donald Trump concluded Kirk’s memorial service with remarks honoring the Turning Point USA (TPUSA) founder, intertwining themes of politics and Christianity.
‘Our greatest evangelist for American liberty became immortal,’ Trump said of Kirk. ‘He’s a martyr for American freedom,’
The president credited Kirk for helping him win the 2024 election by inspiring young voters across the country.
Trump also described the moment when his staff told him that Kirk was shot during a TPUSA event. He said that he was in the middle of a meeting in the Oval Office and called the revelation ‘surreal.’
‘He didn’t deserve this and our country didn’t deserve this,’ Trump said, adding that Kirk’s assassination was an attack on American democracy.
Trump has survived two assassination attempts.
The president said he would soon honor Kirk at the White House with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor. Following his remarks, he shared the stage with Kirk’s widow, Erika, and hugged her while ‘America the Beautiful’ played across the stadium.
2. Erika Kirk gives tearful speech honoring her late husband’s legacy, forgiving his killer
Kirk’s widow, Erika, received a standing ovation ahead of her speech honoring her late husband’s legacy. She evoked scripture during her remarks and referred to her husband as ‘my Charlie’ and his death as a ‘total surrender’ to ‘God’s will.’
As she wiped away tears, Kirk shared with the crowd what she experienced in the hours following his death. ‘I saw the wound that ended his life,’ Kirk said, adding that she experienced ‘a level of heartache that I didn’t even know existed.’
Kirk, who was tapped to lead TPUSA, said her husband’s death has sparked a revival in faith. She galvanized the audience to go to church and to reconnect with Christ.
‘Being a follower of Christ is not easy, it’s not supposed to be,’ Kirk said, adding that she forgives the man who took her husband’s life.
‘I forgive him because that is what Christ did,’ she said behind heavy tears.
Kirk, who is a mother of two young children, said she will miss her husband.
‘I will miss him because our marriage and our family were beautiful,’ she said, adding, ‘and it still is.’
3. A crowd of who’s who of high-level political figures
In addition to TPUSA executives, conservative media giants and religious leaders, Kirk’s memorial service also included tributes from several high-ranking Trump administration officials.
Vice President JD Vance credited Kirk, in part, for his current role in the Trump administration and vowed to support the TPUSA movement.
‘You ran a good race, my friend, I love you,’ Vance said. ‘We’ve got it from here.’
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard were among some of Trump’s Cabinet that spoke at the memorial service.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, Attorney General Pam Bondi, Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, Deputy Director of the FBI Dan Bongino, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin and Kelly Loeffler, head of the Small Business Administration, also were in attendance.
Additionally, billionaire Tesla and Space X CEO Elon Musk was seen sitting next to Trump during part of the memorial service.
4. Frank Turek shares a firsthand account of Kirk’s final moments
Christian author Frank Turek recounted witnessing Kirk’s final moments on the way to the hospital after the Sept. 10 shooting at Utah Valley University.
‘Charlie’s been like a son to me,’ he said, noting that he was only a few feet away when Kirk was assassinated.
Turek described running with the security team toward the SUV.
‘No father would stand back and go, no, you just take my son. Take him. I’ll meet you at the hospital. I got into the back of the SUV,’ he said. ‘Charlie’s so tall, we can’t close the door,’ Turek explained, adding that the TPUSA security team drove ‘all the way to the hospital with the door open.’
He said that during the car ride he kept yelling, ‘Come on, Charlie! Come on! Come on!’ He said that he was looking down at Kirk when he realized that the 31-year-old husband and father had died.
‘His eyes were fixed,’ Turek said. ‘He wasn’t looking at me. He was looking past me right into eternity. He was with Jesus already. He was killed instantly and felt absolutely no pain.’
5. Tens of thousands of people in one of the largest public services ever held
Approximately 90,000 people gathered for Kirk’s memorial service, TPUSA confirmed to Fox News Digital.
About 70,000 mourners filled State Farm Stadium to capacity, while another 10,000 joined from overflow venues, including Desert Diamond Arena and other nearby viewing points.
The turnout marked one of the largest public memorial services in recent years.
Fox News Digital’s Emma Colton and Sophia Compton contributed to this report.
