Charlie Kirk memorial: Trump arrives in Arizona as tens of thousands attend service – latest updates

Alaina Demopoulos

In the days after his killing, Charlie Kirk was remembered by his allies as a great debater. A quote taken from a widely shared video of Kirk discussing his life’s work – “when people stop talking, that’s when violence happens” – emblematized such eulogies.

Kirk toured American college campuses with his rightwing non-profit Turning Point USA, where he would set up a tent, table and microphone, and debate with undergrads. The goal, he said, was to “save western civilization”, and remembrances after his death positioned him as a budding statesman – a conservative hero who strode across the political divide for the sake of open dialogue.

Kirk applied basic rules of civility to his debate style, asking opponents their name and saying it was nice to meet them. He engaged young people in political discourse at a time when society has been split into bitterly antagonistic camps. But his critics are taking issue with any version of his legacy that does not account for the bigoted nature of his arguments. They are also closely examining his very style of debate.

“I don’t think Charlie entered debates to come to a common consensus or to discover the truth,” said Mason, a 26-year-old graduate student who debated with Kirk on the YouTube show Surrounded last fall. “I think Charlie came to debates to verbally beat his opponents.”

Donald Trump has arrived on Air Force One in Arizona for Charlie Kirk’s memorial service.

Trump, alongside other high-profile cabinet members including JD Vance and defense secretary Pete Hegseth, are set to deliver remarks on Kirk.

Lauren Gambino

at the State Farm stadium in Glendale, Arizona

Many people traveled far and wide to pay tribute to Charlie Kirk in Glendale on Sunday. Among them was Eddie Wallin, a 30-year-old from Sweden who crossed the Atlantic to honor the slain organizer.

His journey took him from Sweden to Texas, where he rented a car and said he drove 17 hours straight to make it to Glendale in time for the memorial. He subsisted on bananas and other sugary provisions to keep him alert.

Wallin, wearing a white shirt emblazoned with “Freedom,” said he had first met Kirk in 2019, during a trip to Texas. He recalled that Kirk, smiling, told him he’d never thought he’d meet a Swedish conservative. Six years later, Wallin said he encountered Kirk again during the 2024 presidential election and was surprised when the organizer, by then a hugely prominent figure in Maga politics, remembered him.

“After so many years he remembered me,” Wallin said. “I will remember him for my whole life.”

Lauren Gambino

at the State Farm stadium in Glendale, Arizona

For much of the morning, attendees in the packed stadium have been listening to Christian worship music.

Many sang along with the lyrics, while some raised their hands and swayed. It’s a striking contrast from a Trump rally where the play list often features Lee Greenwood’s God Bless the USA, the Village People’s YMCA and Luciano Pavarotti’s“Ave Maria”.

The event, like Turning Points itself, has blended faith and politics for a new generation of conservatives.

Chris Tomlin, a Christian music singer, is singing now along with the audience, which joins him for the refrain: “You will always be holy / holy forever.”

Robert Mackey

As he left the White House for Phoenix this morning, Donald Trump praised Charlie Kirk’s mobilization of college students through Turning Point USA, the organization that he founded instead of going to college himself.

“For a young man, he did a great job, a tremendous job,” Trump said. “He had a hold on youth because they loved him. They respected him. And if you go back 10 years, those colleges were dangerous places for conservatives. And now they’re hot. They’re very hot. Just like this country is hot.”

As our colleague Alice Speri reported, TPUSA has over 900 chapters on college campuses and claims to have “incubated” more than 350 rightwing influencers over the years.

Kirk himself, however, was broadly unpopular among college students, according to polling after his death. Research done for Puck last week revealed that 70% of students surveyed, at community colleges, technical colleges, trade schools, and public and private four-year institutions, said that they disagreed with Kirk’s views. Just 30% said they agreed with what he had to say.

Lauren Gambino

at the State Farm stadium in Glendale, Arizona

All around the arena are black and white photos of Charlie Kirk, with his wife, Erika, and their children. One shows him tossing a Maga hat into the crowd and several of him speaking.

Emotions were raw in the stadium, as the band played a lengthy instrumental interlude and the camera panned the crowd, which rose to its feet, holding red, black and white signs that said “Turning Points.” One group held a poster with a sketch of Kirk and the biblical verse, “Here I am Lord. Send me.”

Loud applause rang out when the monitor showed an image of Kirk. An announcer called Kirk a “our friend and hero”.

Lauren Gambino

at the State Farm stadium in Glendale, Arizona

Officials and prominent Maga world influencers are filling the arena.

Congresswoman Lauren Boebert was among those who have arrived. Conservative activist Scott Presler posed for photos and Steve Bannon was spotted being escorted around into the venue. Elon Musk said on X he was in attendance.

Credentialed alongside the traditional press corps are several new media podcast hosts, YouTubers and young influencers, including some children – a testament to his vast influence on young conservatives.