Life of Charlie Kirk celebrated by tens of thousands at service, millions of others worldwide
People listen as Erika Kirk speaks at a memorial for her late husband conservative activist Charlie Kirk, Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/John Locher)
People filled the 63,400-seat State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, to remember the life of conservative leader Charlie Kirk, with millions of others watching worldwide.
They began lining up before dawn to secure a spot inside the stadium west of Phoenix, where Kirk’s Turning Point USA organization is based. Security was tight and speakers delivered their tributes from behind bullet-proof glass.
President Donald Trump was one of those who spoke. He praised Kirk as a “great American hero” and “martyr” for freedom as he and other prominent conservatives gathered this evening to honor the slain conservative political activist whose work they say they must now advance.
The memorial service for Kirk, whom Trump credits with playing a pivotal role in his 2024 election victory, drew people including Vice President JD Vance, other senior administration officials and young conservatives shaped by the 31-year-old activist.
“He’s a martyr now for America’s freedom,” Trump said in his tribute. “I know I speak for everyone here today when I say that none of us will ever forget Charlie. And neither now will history.”
Speakers highlighted Kirk’s profound faith and his strong belief that young conservatives need to get married, have children and pass on their values to keep building their movement.
“For Charlie, we will remember that it is better to stand on our feet defending the United States of America and defending the truth than it is to die on our knees,” Vance said. “My friends, for Charlie, we must remember that he is a hero to the United States of America. And he is a martyr for the Christian faith.”
Kirk’s assassination at a Sept. 10 appearance at Utah Valley University has set off a fierce debate about violence, decency and free speech in an era of deep political division.
Erika Kirk wipes tears as she prepares to speak at a memorial for her husband, conservative activist Charlie Kirk, Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Charlie Kirk’s wife forgives suspect
Those close to Kirk prayed and the floors at the home of the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals shook from the bass of Christian rock bands, as the memorial started with the feel of a megachurch service before veering into something more akin to a political rally.
Christian singer Chris Tomlin opened the service, and was joined later by Brandon Lakes and Phil Wickham. Near the end, as Trump took the stage, Lee Greenwood sang a live rendition of the president’s campaign walk-on song, “God Bless the U.S.A.”
The mood in the stadium ebbed and flowed throughout a service that stretched more than five hours. Mourners were patient and cordial, even after waiting hours to enter and then an hour or more for food in stadium concession lines.
Kirk’s widow, Erika, in her own address said in the midst of her grief she was finding comfort that her husband left this world without regrets. She said she forgives the man who is charged with killing him.
“My husband, Charlie, he wanted to save young men, just like the one who took his life,” said Erika Kirk, who is taking over as Turning Point’s leader. She added, “I forgive him.”
Trump, who closed out the service, remarked that Charlie Kirk “did not hate his opponents” and “wanted the best for them,” an attribute he found hard to understand.
“That’s where I disagreed with Charlie. I hate my opponent, and I don’t want the best for them,” Trump said. “I’m sorry, I am sorry Erika.”
A 22-year-old Utah man, Tyler Robinson, has been charged with killing Kirk and faces the death penalty if convicted of the most serious charges. Authorities have not revealed a clear motive in the shooting, but prosecutors say Robinson wrote in a text to his partner following the shooting that he “had enough” of Kirk’s hatred.
FILE – Turning Point USA Founder Charlie Kirk speaks during a campaign rally, Oct. 24, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)
Kirk’s legacy of conservative political influence
Turning Point USA, the group Kirk founded to mobilize young Christian conservatives, became a multimillion-dollar operation under his leadership with enormous reach.
The crowd was a testament to the influence he accumulated in conservative America with his ability to mobilize young people.
And the service brought together a veritable who’s who of the Republican Party, with numerous current and former lawmakers in the crowd. Elon Musk, the tech billionaire and former top adviser to Trump, was spotted sitting with Trump for part of the service.
Kirk was a MAGA celebrity with a loyal following that turned out to support or argue with him as he traveled the country for the events like the one at Utah Valley University, where he was shot.
Speaker after speaker, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, expressed awe at Kirk’s ability to go into what many conservatives saw as the lion’s den to make the conservative case: college campuses.
“Why don’t you start somewhere easier,” Rubio recalled thinking when he first heard about Kirk years ago. “Like, for example, communist Cuba?”
(Copyright 2025 The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
