Trump awards posthumous Medal of Freedom to Charlie Kirk

At a ceremony in the White House Rose Garden, U.S. President Donald Trump awarded the late Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom, calling him an extraordinary champion. Kirk’s widow, Erika, accepted the medal on his behalf. Tuesday would have been Kirk’s 32nd birthday. He is the first recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian award, in Trump’s second term. Last month, a gunman assassinated Kirk at a campus event in Utah.

What else did Trump say? Trump praised Kirk, who was influential in mobilizing young Republican voters, as one reason for his reelection to the White House. The president also decried political violence and attributed it to the left wing. Trump said his recent deployments of the National Guard to various cities would help make the country safer. He said Kirk wished to see Chicago safe again. Trump recounted last year’s assassination attempt on his own life in Butler, Pa., and also criticized Virginia attorney general candidate Jay Jones, a Democrat, who sent texts wishing violence on his political opponents in 2022.

In addition, Trump also declared Oct. 14 a national day of remembrance for Charlie Kirk. 

Dig deeper: Listen to Emma Eicher’s report on The World and Everything in It about how the nation has grieved political assassinations in the past.