WHITE HOUSE – President Donald Trump on Tuesday posthumously awarded conservative activist Charlie Kirk the nation’s highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, on what would have been his 32nd birthday.
The ceremony was held in the White House Rose Garden, where Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, accepted the medal and delivered emotional remarks about her husband’s life and legacy.
“Today, we’re here to honor and remember a fearless warrior for liberty, a beloved leader who galvanized the next generation like nobody has ever seen before, and an American patriot of the deepest conviction, the finest quality, and the highest caliber — the late, great Charlie Kirk,” Trump said.
“Five weeks ago, our nation was robbed of this extraordinary champion,” Trump added.
The House and Senate previously approved a resolution marking October 14 as a “National Day of Remembrance” in honor of Kirk’s birthday.
The event came shortly after Trump returned from a trip to the Middle East, where he celebrated a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas that he helped broker. Trump said he briefly considered postponing the event but decided against it after realizing it fell on Kirk’s birthday.
During the ceremony, Trump praised Erika Kirk’s “unbelievable strength” and promised that “we will always be here for you and your gorgeous, beautiful children.” Kirk is survived by his wife and their two young children.
“Charlie Kirk was a martyr for truth and for freedom,” Trump said. “From Socrates to Saint Peter, from Abraham Lincoln to Martin Luther King, those who change history the most — and he really did — have always risked their lives for the causes they were put on Earth to defend.”
As he closed, Trump said Kirk was “looking down on us right now,” adding, “We’re entering his name forever into the eternal roster of true American heroes. He’s a true American hero, an amazing person.”
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