Donald Trump is about to award the presidential medal of freedom posthumously to Charlie Kirk in a ceremony at the White House ceremony.

Kirk, a conservative activist and founder of Turning Point USA, was shot and killed while addressing Utah Valley University students on Sept 10.

The medal, the highest civilian honour a president can bestow, will be accepted by Erika Kirk, his widow, according to reports.

A key figure in conservative politics, Kirk mobilised young voters for Mr Trump’s 2024 campaign.

Following Kirk’s assassination, the White House launched a broad crackdown on Left-wing organisations and widened its deployment of the National Guard to Democrat-run cities.

Since his death, Mr Trump has called Kirk a “martyr for American freedom” and promised at his memorial service to carry on his work.

In September, both the House of Representatives and Senate approved resolutions declaring Oct 14 a “national day of remembrance for Charlie Kirk”.