The event is being held on Charlie Kirk’s birthday.
- Widow Says Charlie Kirk ‘Probably’ Would Have Run for President
- Erika Kirk Says Medal ‘Best Birthday Gift’ Husband Could Ever Have
- Erika Kirk Says TPUSA Chapters Are ‘Heartbeat’ of the Movement
- Trump Posthumously Awards Presidential Medal of Freedom to Charlie Kirk
- Trump Denounces Political Violence
- Trump Says Erika Kirk’s Love, Courage ‘An Inspiration’ to All
- Trump Would Not Have Missed Kirk Ceremony ‘For Anything in the World’
- Trump Hosts Charlie Kirk Medal Ceremony in Rose Garden
Widow Says Charlie Kirk ‘Probably’ Would Have Run for President
The widow of late Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk told a group assembled at the White House Rose Garden that her husband would “probably” have run for president.
Erika Kirk spoke on Oct. 14 at the Medal of Freedom Ceremony for the Turning Point USA founder.
“There was no limit to what [Charlie Kirk] would have sacrificed to defend freedom for all,” she said.
“And if the moment had come, he probably would have run for president, but not out of ambition. He would only have done it if that was something that he believed that his country needed from a servant’s-heart standpoint.”
Erika Kirk Says Medal ‘Best Birthday Gift’ Husband Could Ever Have
During her speech after accepting Trump’s posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom for her late husband, Erika Kirk told the president that she had spent “seven and a half years trying to find the perfect birthday gift for Charlie, and it’s so difficult.”
“Those of you that have spouses or loved ones, you know how difficult it is sometimes to buy a gift for someone that you love, because he wasn’t a materialistic man, so that also did not help,” she said.
“But now I can say with confidence, Mr. President, that you have given him the best birthday gift he could ever have.”
The ceremony was hosted on what would have been Charlie Kirk’s 32nd birthday.
Erika Kirk Says TPUSA Chapters Are ‘Heartbeat’ of the Movement
Erika Kirk, the widow of late Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, said from the White House Rose Garden that the Turning Point USA (TPUSA) chapters are the “heartbeat and future of this movement.”
“Everything that Charlie built, you guys are the legacy holders of that,” she said. “You are living proof that his mission did not die with him. It lives through you.”
She also thanked the staff of TPUSA and of “The Charlie Kirk Show,” saying, “We love you more than you could ever know.”
The tearful widow recounted her late husband saying that “the next generation will decide whether freedom endures.”
“Because of you, I know that freedom will endure,” she added.
Trump Posthumously Awards Presidential Medal of Freedom to Charlie Kirk
Trump asked a military aide to read the citation for Charlie Kirk’s posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom before presenting the medal to his wife, Erika.
“Charlie Kirk was one of the most influential American political figures of his generation. At just 18 years old, he founded Turning Point USA and grew it into the largest conservative youth organization in the nation,” the aide said.
“He was one of the great debaters and communicators of his time. Despite receiving repeated threats, he remained undeterred and modeled courage, logic, humor, and grace to the next generation.”
The aide added that the United States was honoring Kirk as a “martyr for truth and freedom.”
Trump Denounces Political Violence
President Donald Trump denounced political violence during the Medal of Freedom Ceremony for late Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk.
“We’re done with the angry mobs,” Trump said, referring to the violence in Washington and around the country.
Trump called Kirk’s assassination a “horrible event” that the country has had to watch, where “legions of far left radicals resort to desperate acts of violence and terror because they know that their ideas and arguments are persuading no one.”
The president said later in his remarks that, “Our country must have absolutely no tolerance for this radical left violence, extremism, and terror.”
Trump Says Erika Kirk’s Love, Courage ‘An Inspiration’ to All
President Donald Trump said during his opening remarks at the Medal of Freedom Ceremony that Erika Kirk, Charlie Kirk’s widow, inspired the nation with her love for her husband.
“Erika, your love and courage have been an inspiration to all of us, and we will always be here for you,” Trump said. “And we’re always going to be here for your gorgeous, beautiful children, and we’ll never forget what your family has sacrificed for our country.”
The president then welcomed some of Kirk’s family and friends, including Erika Kirk’s father.
Trump Would Not Have Missed Kirk Ceremony ‘For Anything in the World’
President Donald Trump told the group gathered for the Medal of Freedom Ceremony for Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk that he “wouldn’t have missed this moment for anything in the world.”
Trump spoke at the White House Rose Garden on Oct. 14 to posthumously bestow the Medal of Freedom on Kirk, who was assassinated on Sept. 10. Oct. 14 is also Kirk’s birthday.
Trump said he “raced back halfway around the globe” to get back to the ceremony.
The president said he considered asking to postpone the ceremony due to his trip to the Middle East to broker the Hamas–Israel peace deal.
“You know why I didn’t?” Trump said. “Because I heard today was Charlie’s [32nd] birthday.
“We’re going to have to forget about some of those very big, very rich countries that expected me to be there. I would not have missed this moment for anything in the world, nothing.”
Trump Hosts Charlie Kirk Medal Ceremony in Rose Garden
President Donald Trump’s ceremony posthumously awarding conservative activist Charlie Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom began at roughly 4:40 p.m. ET in the Rose Garden at the White House.
It’s the first event held in the Rose Garden since it was recently renovated.
