“Today, America is a nation in grief, a nation in shock, and a nation in mourning.”
That was how President Donald Trump began is remarks at the massive Arizona funeral for Charlie Kirk, which according to some estimates was attended by hundreds of thousands of people.
America has been robbed of a “giant” of his generation, but Kirk is now a “martyr” who will be remembered by history, Trump said.
“Our country was robbed of one of the brightest lights of our times, a giant of his generation, and above all, a devoted husband, father, son, Christian, and patriot,” Trump said. “Charles James Kirk was heinously murdered by a radicalized, cold-blooded monster for speaking the truth that was in his heart.”
The president said that Kirk was assassinated for speaking the truth, for living “bravely” and boldly.” So “on September 10, 2025, our greatest evangelist for American liberty became immortal,” Trump said.
But Trump said that Kirk’s message and his accomplishments in life will live on.
“I know I speak for everyone here today when I say that none of us will ever forget Charlie Kirk and neither now will history,” Trump said.
“For millions of Americans, especially young people, it is agonizing and unthinkable to say goodbye to a patriot whose heart still had so much to give,” Trump said. But Kirk brought something higher to the American people than just politics, Trump said, for there was no questioning the source of Kirk’s passion and conviction.
“What was even more important to Charlie than politics and service was the choice he made in the fifth grade—which he called the ‘most important decision of his life’—to become a Christian and a follower of his savior, Jesus Christ,” Trump said.
Trump spoke about how Kirk became such a champion of faith and freedom on college campuses and among young people. Kirk did this, Trump said, by engaging those who disagreed with him in debate and using common sense.
“Through it all, the core of Charlie’s message and his basic method never changed,” Trump said. “At every campus event, Charlie asked the people who disagreed with him to come forward—and instead of silencing them, he handed them a microphone and let them speak.”
Trump said that this remarkable ability to go into places where many people disagreed and to show his opponents love was one of Kirk’s great attributes.
“Shortly before Charlie arrived on campus the day he was assassinated, a staff member texted him that there were many critics and students who were opposed his views,” Trump said. “Charlie wrote back to the staff member saying, ‘I’m not here to fight them—I want them to know them and love them. … In that private moment on his dying day, we find everything we need to know about who Charlie Kirk truly was.”
The president injected a moment of levity in his comments, speaking about how Kirk’s Christian beliefs directed him to want to help his opponents more than he does.
“He wanted the best for his opponents,” Trump said of Kirk. “That’s where I disagree with Charlie. I can’t stand my opponents. I do not want the best for them. … Charlie’s looking down at me angry right now.”
Trump said that maybe Kirk’s wife, Erika, could convince him otherwise.
“The lesson of Charlie’s life is that you should never underestimate what one person can do with a good heart, a righteous cause, a cheerful spirit, and a will to fight, fight, fight,” Trump said.
Trump said that Kirk was a “big factor” in changing the trajectory of the country and that while he began by just changing a few minds on campus, he ultimately did much more.
“Charlie Kirk started with only an idea to change minds on college campuses, and instead he ended up with a far greater achievement—changing history,” Trump said.
The 47th president said that while an assassin took Kirk from this world, he is now “kneeling at the throne of God.”
“We grieve for the friend and leader we have lost,” Trump said. “But we go forward strengthened by his faith, bolstered by his courage, and inspired by his example to defend the country he lived for, for the freedoms he died for, and the values in which he so deeply believed.”
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