Trump reveals Charlie Kirk's last message before assassination at Arizona memorial

President Donald Trump said Charlie Kirk’s final request before the conservative activist’s death was to “save Chicago,” a message he recounted during a memorial in Glendale, Arizona. Trump said Kirk, who was assassinated earlier this month in Utah Valley, urged him to take steps to crack down on crime in Chicago as part of Kirk’s broader push for public safety and law enforcement. The former president described Kirk as a friend who helped promote freedom and justice and who was killed by a shooter he described as a “radicalized leftist.”

Trump told the crowd that Kirk’s death should be remembered as an imperative to defend American values, saying, “American loved Charlie Kirk.” He defended Kirk’s advocacy for conservative causes on college campuses and across the country, and he noted that Kirk played a key role in linking him with figures who helped broaden his political coalition. Trump said Kirk introduced him to Robert F. Kennedy Jr. early in RFK Jr.’s own political trajectory and to Ohio Republican JD Vance, underscoring Kirk’s influence on his 2024 campaign among young voters. He added that no words could fill the void left by Kirk’s passing but urged the audience to honor Kirk by continuing his work. <br>\n

The memorial drew tens of thousands of conservatives and Christian supporters to State Farm Stadium, with the arena filled inside and out as worship songs played and speakers lamentsed the loss. A number of Christian artists performed ahead of the formal program, which began around the scheduled entry time of 8:00 a.m. Local and national media were positioned along the floor and risers as VIPs, Turning Point seminarians and staff filled white folding chairs. The atmosphere reflected Kirk’s appeal to a broad cross-section of the movement, including young voters whom he helped mobilize during the 2024 election.

Trump praised Kirk for helping to unite the MAGA and MAHA movements and said the activist’s influence extended to relations with other political figures. He said Kirk’s death had shaken his supporters and that he would honor Kirk with the Presidential Medal of Freedom at the White House, a recognition the president pledged to confer posthumously. The remarks also included a nod to Kirk’s family; Trump addressed Kirk’s parents and later invited Erika Kirk, Charlie’s widow, to stand beside him on stage as part of the memorial finale.

In a show of lasting influence, Trump noted that Kirk’s work extended beyond campaign cycles to ongoing advocacy for freedom of speech and the right to dissent. He indicated that Kirk’s widow would assume leadership of Turning Point USA as its new chief executive, a move the audience took as a sign of continuity for Kirk’s organizational mission. Trump concluded by emphasizing Kirk’s legacy as a catalyst for conservative values and a spokesperson who, in his words, “lived boldly and argued brilliantly without apology.”

Elon Musk joined Trump at the event, and the two were seen exchanging a handshake from Trump’s viewing booth, a moment that underscored the high-profile support Kirk had built within the broader tech and business community. In the days surrounding the memorial, Trump also ordered U.S. flags at the White House to be lowered to half-mast in honor of Kirk. As the program intensified and the crowd swelled, attendees expressed a shared view that Kirk’s message would endure beyond the memorial stage, guiding activists and lawmakers as they sought to advance what his supporters describe as “freedom and justice.”