GLENDALE, Ariz.—In a profound act of grace that echoed through a sea of tens of thousands of mourners, Erika Kirk, widow of conservative firebrand Charlie Kirk, publicly forgave her husband’s assassin, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, during Sunday’s memorial service at State Farm Stadium.
“I forgive him,” she said, invoking Jesus Christ’s words from the cross, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”
The 5.5-hour ceremony titled “Building a Legacy: Remembering Charlie Kirk,” drew over 100,000 attendees to honor the 31-year-old founder of Turning Point USA, slained on September 10 while speaking at Utah Valley University. Andrew Kolvet, spokesman for Turning Point USA and executive producer of “The Charlie Kirk Show,” shared that early numbers tally over 100 million livestreams for the event.
Attendees, clad in “Sunday best” attire accented with red, white, and blue, filled the stadium with patriotic fervor as worship music from Christian artists Chris Tomlin, Brandon Lake, Phil Wickham, Kari Jobe Carnes, and Cody Carnes blended with performances by Lee Greenwood and Steve Amerson. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., joined a roster of dignitaries, including President Donald J. Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance, and cabinet members like Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.
Speakers shared tributes about Kirk’s unyielding faith, family values, and crusade against cultural decay, emphasizing his transformation of conservatism from a garage startup in 2009 into a youth mobilization juggernaut headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona.
Kirk, a Scottsdale resident with Erika and their two young children, grew up in Illinois, channeling his Eagle Scout discipline and early conversion to Christianity into Republican efforts, including the President Trump’s 2024 campaign that propelled him back into the White House.
Turning Point USA hailed him as “a servant of the Lord” whose life embodied “faith, courage, and conviction,” noting, “Charlie died doing what he loved: fighting for truth, for faith, for family, and for America.”
Ben Carson, representing the American Cornerstone Institute, opened with a lament for the loss of a partner in the fight against Marxist infiltration that has eroded American foundations for decades he said. Referencing Cleon Skousen’s 1950s exposé The Naked Communist, Carson outlined key tactics of communists and Marxists: “Gaining control of the public education system and the teacher unions so that you could infiltrate and indoctrinate our young people. Gaining control of the media and Hollywood so they could change the culture in America, making sexual perversion normal, natural and healthy.”
He urged religious leaders to reclaim Biblical truth over a “social gospel,” challenging them to “get on board of the revival that is coming.”
Closing with John 12:24—tying it to the 12:24 p.m. hour of Kirk’s death—he affirmed, “Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit,” thanking Kirk for a sacrifice yielding an abundant harvest.
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller ignited the crowd with a fiery defense of Kirk’s enduring legacy, portraying his death as an awakening.
“You thought you could kill Charlie Kirk? You have made him immortal,” Miller proclaimed, stressing how Kirk’s movement traces a lineage “back to Athens, to Rome, to Philadelphia, to Monticello,” built by ancestors who “raised up families, raised up cities, raised up industry, raised up civilization.”
He acclaimed Erika as “the storm,” embodying the resolve of women who pulled humanity “out of the caves and the darkness into the light.”
Miller excoriated America’s enemies as purveyors of “wickedness… jealousy… envy… hatred,” incapable of creation, while Kirk’s followers “build… create… lift up humanity.”
“You are nothing. You can build nothing. You can produce nothing. You can create nothing. We are the ones who build. We are the ones who create. We are the ones who lift up humanity,” said Miller.
Vowing to “finish the job” and “defeat the forces of darkness and evil,” he promised, “We will prove worthy of your sacrifice,” ensuring Kirk’s vision saves “this civilization, to save the West, to save this Republic.”
Tulsi Gabbard, Director of National Intelligence, cast Kirk as a “warrior for truth and for freedom,” who lived the Founders’ vision of free speech as “the foundation of our democratic Republic. We must protect it at all costs because without it, we’ll be lost.”
She recounted Kirk’s calm courage in debates, slaying “ignorance” and “lies” with “truth, reason, propelled… by his love for God, his love for others, his love for our great nation.”
Calling for all to become “warriors like Charlie,” she urged, “Sharpen our weapons of truth, common sense, and reason,” and heed God’s assurance: “Don’t be afraid. I am with you. I will strengthen you and help you.”
Vice President J.D. Vance reframed the memorial as a “revival in celebration of Charlie Kirk and of his Lord Jesus Christ,” not a mere ceremony. He praised Kirk’s lived evangelism: raising a “Godly home,” embodying “Christian virtue,” and treating all with grace, as when he prayed for a struggling White House staffer.
On faith’s public expression, Vance admitted, “I have talked more about Jesus Christ in the past two weeks than I have my entire time in public life.” Confronting post-assassination hate, he channeled Kirk’s likely counsel: “Pray for my friends, but also for my enemies… put on the full armor of God and get back to work.”
Rallying the crowd, Vance declared, “For Charlie, we will speak the truth every single day… rebuild this United States of America to greatness… never shrink, we will never cower.”
Erika Kirk’s address, a heartfelt pivot from sorrow to stewardship, revealed God’s mercy in Kirk’s painless passing—”One moment Charlie was doing what he loved… and then he blinked. And saw his Savior in paradise.”
She shared intimate glimpses: his love notes ending with “please let me know how I can better serve you as a husband,” and his mission to revive the American family, challenging men to “be strong and courageous… love your wives and lead them… be the spiritual head of your home,” and women to “be virtuous… guard your heart.”
Addressing the “lost boys of the West”—directionless young men “wasting their lives on distractions… consumed with resentment, anger and hate”—she affirmed Kirk’s desire to save them, extending forgiveness to Robinson, Kirk’s assassin, as “the answer to hate is not hate… love for our enemies.”
As the new CEO of Turning Point USA, she vowed to expand the organization tenfold.
“Chapters will grow. Thousands of new ones will be created… we will continue to hold debates and dialogue,” for “when you stop the conversation… we get violence,” she said.
President Trump closed with a sweeping eulogy, dubbing Kirk “a martyr now for American freedom” whose voice “will echo through the generations.”
Recounting his rise—from a table at the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a “Big Government Sucks” sign to mobilizing millions—Trump highlighted Kirk’s role in 2024’s youth surge that contributed to his second presidency.
“We won more young people than any Republican candidate in the history of our country,” Trump said.
He shared anecdotes of Kirk’s humility, like couch-surfing and refusing paychecks, and his persuasion over demonization: “I’m not here to fight them. I want to know them and love them.”
Trump condemned the “radical left maniacs” behind the threats and violence in America, vowing investigations and the Presidential Medal of Freedom for Kirk.
Noting global tributes—from Calgary anthems to Australian churchgoers inspired by his death—Trump affirmed, “The lesson of Charlie’s life is that you should never underestimate what one person can do with a good heart, a righteous cause… and the will to fight.”
Under Erika’s lead, Trump predicts that, “Turning Point USA… will become bigger and better and stronger than ever before.”
Author: Mario Lotmore
2 Responses
Thanks for covering the event. May Charlie’s witness of being willing to engage in dialogue with people who have different opinions and/or positions, create an environment of debate and conversations rather than of violence and hatred. He truly loved his neighbors even at the risk of being disliked.
Wow, thank you for this great and honest coverage! Most media is very left leaning. I’ve seen many horrible labels placed on Charlie in social media; I hope people realize those are lies or quotes out of context.