Since his assassination, people claiming Charlie Kirk was a racist have been unable to produce a single video where he made a racist comment. However, there are countless videos where he said, “This is the greatest country ever to have existed.”
Charlie Kirk loved Christ, loved his nation, and it is fitting that the massive memorial service held for him on September 21, in Arizona, was both Christian and patriotic.
When the announcer introduced President Trump, “Please welcome the 45th and 47th President of the United States, Donald Trump,” Lee Greenwood’s “I’m Proud to Be an American” played as he took the stage, and the crowd roared.
President Trump began: “Today America is a nation in grief, a nation in shock, a nation in mourning. Less than two weeks ago, our nation was robbed of one of the brightest lights of our time, a giant of his generation. Above all, a devoted husband, father, son, Christian, and patriot, Charles James Kirk, was heinously murdered by a radicalized, cold-blooded monster for speaking the truth that was in his heart.”
“He was violently killed because he spoke for freedom and justice, for God and country, for reason and for common sense. He was assassinated because he lived bravely, he lived boldly, and argued brilliantly without apology. He did what was right for our nation. So, on that day, September 10, 2025, our greatest evangelist for American liberty became immortal. He is a martyr now for American freedom.
“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.” At this point, the crowd went wild, cheering. “Because while Charlie has been reunited with his Creator in Heaven, his voice will echo through the generations, and his name will live forever in the eternal chronicle of America’s greatest patriots. He will live forever.”
President Trump then turned to Charlie’s widow, Erika Kirk, and praised her. Despite the grief and pain she was feeling, he thanked her for having “found the strength and the deep faith to be a comfort to millions and millions of people.”
He said that America wraps its arms around her, and he vowed that Charlie Kirk will live on and be revered as a great American hero.
To Charlie Kirk’s parents, President Trump offered condolences. He told them that while nothing could take away their pain or bring back their son, they should be proud to know that “their son brought more good and love into this world in his short 31 years than most people, even very, very successful people, can bring in a lifetime.”
He went on to say, “Charlie Kirk loved America with everything he had, and as we can see here, America loved Charlie Kirk.”
Trump reminded the audience that the memorial was not only attended by about 100,000 people inside the stadium but also watched on livestream by millions around the world.
“This is like an old-time revival,” he said. “For millions of Americans, especially young people, it is agonizing and unthinkable to say goodbye to a patriot who still had so much to give.”
He then introduced Vice President JD Vance and Speaker Mike Johnson, joking about how impossible it would be to introduce every top official present because there were so many.
In addition to those dignitaries, the speakers included White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump Jr., and Tucker Carlson.
The national anthem played as President Trump hugged Erika Kirk, Charlie Kirk’s tearful widow.
Taking the microphone, she described the ordeal: “On the night of September 10, I arrived at a Utah hospital to do the unthinkable, to look at my husband’s murdered body.”
Now unanimously chosen to lead Turning Point USA, she offered forgiveness to the alleged shooter and vowed to continue Charlie’s mission of reaching “the lost boys of the West.”
“That young man… I forgive him because it was what Christ did. And it is what Charlie would do. The answer to hate is not hate; the answer is love,” she said, adding the Gospel words: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
Some people misinterpret Erika Kirk’s public forgiveness of her husband’s killer. It is our Christian duty to forgive those who sin against us, and this is what she was doing.
However, this act of forgiveness should not be confused with condoning the crime or opposing earthly justice. According to both Catholic teaching and mainstream Christian doctrine, human forgiveness operates independently from divine forgiveness and legal accountability.
While Christians are called to forgive unconditionally to purge hatred and revenge from their hearts, this does not mean the perpetrator escapes consequences. Divine forgiveness still requires the killer to genuinely repent and ask God for forgiveness.
Meanwhile, earthly justice must still be pursued – the person must face legal punishment for their crime. Mrs. Kirk’s forgiveness represents the Christian ideal of releasing personal vengeance while still supporting the necessity of legal justice and societal accountability.
Vice President JD Vance said, “I can’t help but think they tried to kill my friend Charlie Kirk, our dear friend, and tonight we speak with Charlie and for Charlie louder than ever.”
He added that Kirk “brought the truth that young people deserve to have a stake in the future,” and praised his example of Christian fatherhood: “Charlie… did so much more than tell the truth. He lived it.”
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth called Charlie Kirk “a warrior for country, a warrior for Christ… He ran the race. He finished the fight.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared, “He made a difference. He mattered, and he will matter now more than he ever has before.”
DNI Tulsi Gabbard praised Kirk as “a warrior for truth and freedom… His words were his weapons. He slayed ignorance. He cut through lies and he woke people’s minds.”
The event blended worship and political rally production on a scale comparable to a state funeral.
Turning Point teams even conducted voter registration on-site. Speakers such as Stephen Miller, Benny Johnson, and Jack Posobiec cast the moment as both a spiritual and political battle, while commentators noted the unprecedented melding of religion, politics, and media.
Elon Musk said Kirk was targeted “because his words made a difference… he was showing people the light and he was killed by the dark.”
Ben Carson urged revival, citing John 12:24: “‘Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone. But if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.’”
Pastor Rob McCoy, Kirk’s longtime spiritual mentor, said he looked at politics as “an on-ramp to Jesus.” Rabbi Pinchas Taylor added that Kirk “defended Israel with clarity and courage.” Cardinal Timothy Dolan predicted his martyrdom would spark a youth revival, calling him “a modern-day St. Paul.”
The service underscored Kirk’s dual identity as activist and evangelist. Hillsdale College announced scholarships and honorary degrees for Charlie and Erika. Attendees chanted “USA” as Trump arrived, while outside a small group of protesters carried hostile signs.
Despite the grief, the tone was one of resolve: “If we’ve learned anything,” a young conservative leader said, “you can kill a man, but you cannot kill a movement.”
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