Trump honors Kirk as martyr at memorial service

“He is a martyr for American liberty.”

On Sept. 21, a memorial service was held at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, for Charlie Kirk, the youth conservative activist and founder of Turning Point USA. U.S. President Donald Trump, recalling Kirk’s activities before his assassination on Sept. 10, described him as both a “martyr” and an “evangelist.” During Trump’s speech, many attendees clasped their hands tightly and closed their eyes, echoing gestures often seen during religious sermons. The crowd of roughly 73,000 intermittently cheered, chanting “USA” and “Kirk.”

The five-hour memorial, which began at 11 a.m., resembled a religious event for Trump’s staunch MAGA (Make America Great Again) supporters. Key figures from the Trump administration, including Vice President J.D. Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, White House Chief of Staff Suzie Wiles, and Deputy Chief of Staff Steve Miller, attended to honor Kirk.

Trump, who appeared at the end of the service, proclaimed, “The great evangelist, Charlie Kirk, has now become immortal,” adding, “We must fight. That is how we save our country.” He singled out the radical left as the target, claiming they were behind Kirk’s assassination. He also asserted, “Radicals and the allied progressive media tried to silence Charlie.” Steve Miller, the deputy chief of staff with strong MAGA ties, framed the struggle against the progressive camp as a “battle of good versus evil” and signaled an aggressive campaign to “eradicate the left.”

The memorial was widely seen as a symbolic moment showing that the MAGA movement has moved beyond political consolidation to shared cultural and religious beliefs. The New York Times noted that it illustrates how closely conservative Christianity and the Republican Party are aligned in a potential second Trump term.


Jin-Woo Shin niceshin@donga.com