Summary
Donald Trump declined to deliver a message of national unity when he addressed tens of thousands of people gathered for the memorial to honor Charlie Kirk on Sunday – instead exclaiming that he “hates my opponents” and “doesn’t want what’s best for them”.
Here are the key moments of the day at a glance:
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Donald Trump berated his political opponents in a speech that was part tribute and part a catalogue of grievances. The president praised Kirk as an “American martyr”, calling him “a giant of his generation”.
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But Trump also talked about sending troops to Chicago, making a major autism announcement and complained about the outrage sparked by the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night comedy show. He hit out at the “radical left” and Joe Biden in a freewheeling address that was reminiscent of a campaign speech.
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Elon Musk was spotted meeting Trump on the sidelines of the event. The two men shook hands months after a public falling out.
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Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, publicly forgave the person charged with killed her husband. Appearing to talk about the suspect, she told the crowd: “That man, that young man, I forgive him. I forgive him because it was what Christ did and it is what Charlie would do.”
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JD Vance was among speakers at the event, making multiple references to conservative talking points including anti-abortion sentiments and religiously-guided family values. Vance said: “He brought the truth that marriage and family were the highest callings, far more important than any job or educational credential.”
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Other notable speakers included Pete Hegseth (who called Kirk a “warrior for Christ” in a decidedly martial speech; Marco Rubio, who compared Kirk to historical figures including Jesus; and White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, who told unspecified “enemies” that “You are nothing. You are wickedness”.
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Donald Trump Jr used his speech to claim ‘we don’t silence’ opponents. Dozens of workers across the country, ranging from journalists to popular late-night show host Jimmy Kimmel, have been penalized as employers and public officials crack down on remarks that they regard as “inappropriate” towards Kirk.
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Some 100,000 people are thought to have attended in and around the State Farm arena in Glendale, Arizona. Several attendees were leaving the stadium while Trump was speaking. Many in the crowd had turned up before dawn to secure a seat. By the time the event finished, they had been there more than 12 hours.
Key events
The Guardian’s Lauren Gambino was among those who spent around 12 hours at the memorial venue to report on the service for Charlie Kirk.
She sends this dispatch from the ground:
The memorial was part spiritual revival and part political rally, with the program that included Donald Trump and prominent members of the president’s Make America Great Again (Maga) movement. Mourners obliged the red, white and blue “Sunday best” dress code request, filling the at-capacity domed stadium with stars, stripes and Maga hats.
“We’ve got it from here,” vice-president JD Vance said, memorializing Kirk, his friend and the founder of the youth activist group Turning Point USA as one of the most pre-eminent voices on the American right.
Emotions were raw in the arena as Erika Kirk, Charlie’s widow, took the stage and inhaled deeply. Dabbing tears from her eyes, she began her remarks to the rapt stadium, Trump among them.
Donald Trump is back on Air Force One. Trump administration officials Dr Oz and Jeanine Pirro were spotted among those boarding the plane back to Washington DC.
Trump mocks Joe Biden in tribute speech
In a speech that ticked off several regular Trump talking points, the president also could not resist a dig at his predecessor Joe Biden.
Mocking the former president’s speech, Trump said:
When Joe Biden used to get up, remember the speeches, we will stop Maga. We will stop Maga. You know, he could barely get the words out. We will stop… I said: ‘Can somebody inform him that Maga means make America great again. How do you say you’re going to stop it?’ And Charlie understood that.
Some people left stadium during Trump’s speech
Lauren Gambino
inside the State Farm arena in Glendale, Arizona
Several attendees were leaving the stadium while Trump continued his remarks in honor of Charlie Kirk – part remembrance, part grievance.
This happened just past 4pm local time (7pm ET), meaning some guests have spent more than 12 hours waiting for the speech. The president’s tribute started about an hour behind schedule.
Trump has expressed affection for Kirk, whose large crowds the president repeatedly complimented. But Trump has also veered from the service, teasing a major “medical” announcement, touting his tariffs and mocking Joe Biden.
He also announced that he would posthumously award Kirk the presidential medal of freedom, the highest civilian honor.
Trump ends his speech by once again paying tribute to Charlie Kirk and bringing back on stage his widow, Erika Kirk.
Ending what was a markedly political address that also featured the words “fight! fight! fight!” (which Trump spoke directly after an attempt on his life in July 2024), the president ends by saying:
We grieve for the friend and leader that we have lost, but we go forward strengthened by his faith and bolstered by his courage and inspired by his example to defend the country he lived for, for the freedoms He died for and the values in which he so deeply believed. He believed in values that we should all believe in. Charlie created something very special. It’s called Turning Point USA, and under the leadership and love of Erika, it will become bigger and better and stronger than ever before.
Trump mentions Jimmy Kimmel suspension
Trump claimed without evidence that commentators who were criticizing the suspension of the late-night comedy show hosted by Jimmy Kimmel implied Kirk had brought on his own death.
The president claimed some people reacted with “sick approval, excuses or even jubilation”, adding: “They are major losers”.
The controversy around Kimmel began after the comedian, in a recent broadcast, suggested that “many in Maga land are working very hard to capitalize on the murder of Charlie Kirk”. Within a day, the FCC chair, Brendan Carr, condemned the comments as “truly sick” and suggested ABC could face regulatory consequences.
The suspension has prompted a slew of critiques from politicians and film and TV industry figures.
David Letterman, the veteran late-night host, condemned ABC’s decision while speaking at a festival hosted by the Atlantic.
“You can’t go around firing somebody because you’re fearful, or trying to suck up to an authoritarian, criminal administration in the Oval Office. That’s just not how this works,” Letterman said.
Damon Lindelof, a powerful Hollywood showrunner and creator of the ABC series Lost and other dramas, has promised not to work with Disney unless it puts Kimmel back on the air.
Lindelof wrote on Instagram: “I was shocked, saddened and infuriated by yesterday’s suspension and look forward to it being lifted soon. If it isn’t, I can’t in good conscience work for the company that imposed it.”
Barack Obama also condemned what he called a “dangerous” escalation by the Trump administration. “After years of complaining about cancel culture, the current administration has taken it to a new and dangerous level by routinely threatening regulatory action against media companies unless they muzzle or fire reporters and commentators it doesn’t like,” Obama wrote on X.
Donald Trump moves on to blame what he claims are “networks of radical left maniacs” over Charlie Kirk’s murder.
The president gives no evidence for his claims, telling the arena:
The Department of Justice is also investigating networks of radical left maniacs who fund, organize, fuel and perpetrate political violence, and we think we know who many of them are, but law enforcement can only be the beginning of our response to Charlie’s murder over the last 11 days.
We have heard stories of commentators, influencers and others in our society who greeted his assassination with sick approval, excuses or even jubilation. You’ve heard that, so have I … some of the very same people who spent the last eight years trying to sit in moral judgment of anyone who disagreed with them about politics suddenly started cheering for murder.
Trump’s address is reminiscent of his campaign rally speeches, featuring some of the president’s most oft-featured talking points.
While paying tribute to Kirk, Trump also lays into what he called “the radical left” and revels in his successful election.
He claims tariffs are “making us rich again, richer than anybody ever thought was possible”.
Trump also claims he “stopped the crime in Washington – took 12 days”.
Trump says: ‘I hate my opponents and I don’t want the best for them’
Trump goes on to praise Kirk as a “missionary with a noble spirit” who did not hate his opponents.
But then, in direct contrast to Erika Kirk’s announcement of forgiveness, the president gave a message of anger, telling the crowd:
I hate my opponents and I don’t want the best for them. I’m sorry. I am sorry Erika, but now Erika can talk to me and the whole group, and maybe they can convince me that that’s not right, but I can’t stand my opponents.
Trump talks of autism announcement on Monday
Trump is now talking to the crowd about an announcement on autism he is expected to make on Monday.
Trump claims his administration knows the cause of autism and will unveil it in a press conference.
The Trump administration is expected to tie pregnant women’s use of the popular medicine known as Tylenol (paracetamol) to a risk for autism, contrary to medical guidelines, the Washington Post has reported.
Medical guidelines say it is safe for pregnant women to take Tylenol, the over-the-counter pain medication whose active ingredient is acetaminophen (also known as paracetamol).
Trump recounts key stages of Kirk’s life and work – but can’t bring himself not to mention politics with a reference to plans to send federal troops to Chicago.
Trump says: “Charlie was filled with a patriotic spirit from his youth, and he was an all American in everything he did. And one of the last things he said to me is, please Sir, save Chicago. We’re going to do that. We’re going to save Chicago from horrible crimes.”
Here is more on that story:
Trump next mentions Kirk’s parents, telling them:
“To Charlie’s parents, who lost their beloved Son and to the entire Kirk family, we know that no words could ever be enough to fill the void he leaves behind. That’s a void that just can’t be filled.”
“But I hope the extraordinary outpouring of emotion over these past 11 days has comforted you with the knowledge that your son brought more good and love into this world in his 31 short years than most people, even very, very successful people can bring in a lifetime.”
Trump echoes what many of the other speakers have done – calling Kirk a “martyr”.
Trump says Kirk’s “name will live forever in the eternal chronicle of America’s greatest patriots, he will live forever”.
He then goes on to pay tribute to Kirk’s widow Erika and the couple’s children and tells them the US shares in their “immense and overwhelming sorrow”.
Trump pays tribute to Charlie Kirk
Donald Trump is addressing the tens of thousands of people attending the memorial.
The president says America is a nation “in shock and a nation in mourning”.
Trump says:
Less than two weeks ago, our country was robbed of one of the brightest flights of our times, a giant of his generation, and 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, country for reason, and for common sense.
Donald Trump enters stage as last speaker at Charlie Kirk’s memorial service
Donald Trump, the last speaker of Charlie Kirk’s memorial service, has just entered the stage, following a eulogy by Kirk’s wife, Erika.
Trump entered the stage as Lee Greenwood performed God Bless the USA on stage.
“For America, for Charlie Kirk!” Greenwood said alongside Trump as the president looked on at the cheering crowd.
Erika Kirk concluded her speech, saying:
“Charlie’s life was a turning point for this country. It was a miracle… Choose prayer, choose courage, choose beauty, choose adventure, choose family, choose a life of faith. Most importantly, choose Christ.”
Donald Trump takes stage to pay tribute to Charlie Kirk
Donald Trump has taken the stage to pay tribute to Charlie Kirk, a close ally he has publicly grieved since he was shot 11 days ago.
Trump is the final speaker at the memorial.
Trump and Musk meet on sidelines of memorial event
During the speeches, Elon Musk was seen talking to Donald Trump in the president’s box at the State Farm stadium.
Musk was seen sitting next to the president and the pair shook hands.
The meeting came after a public falling out between Trump and his onetime close adviser.
