- By Supratik Das
- Sun, 21 Sep 2025 02:55 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Charlie Kirk memorial: President Donald Trump and prominent members of his “Make America Great Again” movement will pay tribute Sunday to conservative activist Charlie Kirk, whose slaying has marked a signal moment in America's fraught political atmosphere.
The memorial service for Kirk, whom Trump credits with playing a pivotal role in his 2024 election victory, is expected to draw tens of thousands of mourners, including Vice President JD Vance, senior White House officials and young conservatives shaped by the 31-year-old firebrand.
Kirk's assassination at a September 10 appearance on a Utah college campus has set off a fierce debate about violence, decency and free speech in an era of deep political division. The shooting also has stirred fear among some Americans that Trump is trying to harness outrage over the killing as justification to suppress the voices of his critics and political opponents. The service will take place at State Farm Stadium, the home of the NFL's Arizona Cardinals, west of Phoenix, where Kirk's Turning Point organization is based. Security is expected to be tight, with a similar level of federal law enforcement presence as for the Super Bowl or other high-profile event.
All About Arizona Memorial
Turning Point, the group Kirk founded to mobilise young Christian conservatives, became a multimillion-dollar operation under his leadership with enormous reach. The tens of thousands expected to fill the stadium in Glendale for Kirk's memorial is a testament to the massive influence he accumulated in conservative America.
Charlie Kirk was a provocateur who at times made statements that some called racist, misogynistic, anti-immigrant and transphobic. That has drawn backlash from conservatives who view the criticism as cherry-picking a few select moments to insult the legacy they see of an inspirational conservative leader. Kirk was a MAGA celebrity with a loyal following that turned out to support or argue with him as he travelled the country for events like the one at Utah Valley University, where he was fatally shot. Kirk grew the organization, in large part, through the force of his personality and debating chops.
Arizona is the adopted home state of Kirk, who grew up outside Chicago and founded Turning Point there before moving the organization to Phoenix. Vance, who has said Kirk's advocacy was a big reason Trump picked him to serve as vice president, transported Kirk's casket from Utah to Arizona aboard Air Force Two the day after his death, and he later served as a guest host of Kirk's podcast.
Scheduled speakers at the service include Trump, Vance, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. Donald Trump Jr., right-wing commentator Tucker Carlson and White House aides Stephen Miller and Sergio Gor also are slated to speak.
Longtime worship leader Chris Tomlin will provide music, along with other big names in contemporary Christian music, including Brandon Lake, Phil Wickham, and husband-and-wife duo Kari Jobe Carnes and Cody Carnes. Kirk's widow, who has been named Turning Point's new leader, also will speak. Erika Kirk pledged in an emotional speech days after his death that “the movement my husband built will not die.”
