Tens of thousands gathered at the State Farm Stadium in Arizona for the funeral of Charlie Kirk on Sunday, where President Donald Trump and other top administration officials are expected to pay tribute to the conservative influencer, who was killed at a Utah university speaking event on Sept. 10.
The stadium is located in a suburb of Phoenix, where Kirk’s influential right-wing organization Turning Point USA is based. The memorial will be attended by Vice President J.D. Vance and five cabinet members, as well as many influential national conservative figures.
President Trump said the service will “celebrate the life of a great man.”
“We want to look at it as a time of healing,” Trump said as he left the White House for the service. “That something like this could have happened is not even believable so we will have a very interesting day, a very tough day.”
Read More: The Killing of Charlie Kirk and the Political Violence Haunting America
Trump has credited Kirk and his engagement with young people for his 2024 re-election to office for his second term, and the president has described the 31-year-old father of two as a friend.
The Trump Administration has responded to Kirk’s killing by promising a crackdown on leftwing groups, igniting debates on political violence and free speech.
State Farm Stadium, home to the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals, has a capacity of 63,000 people and is expanded to over 73,000 for larger events. Desert Diamond Arena, which stands nearby, will also host overflow onlookers, and is able to accommodate 19,000 people. Turning Point USA says that 200,000 people have registered for the memorial on their website.
Besides Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, and Stephen Miller, Deputy Chief of Staff are also set to speak, as well as Trump’s son Donald Trump Jr. and Tucker Carlson, former Fox News host who has dissented from Trump in recent months over several foreign policy issues.
Kirk’s wife, Erika Kirk, who has been outspoken in the aftermath of her husband’s death and has been tapped to take over her husband’s Turning Point brand, is also set to speak.
Ahead of the memorial’s start, the stadium seats have been donned with posters featuring biblical verse Isaiah 6:8 (“Here I am, Lord, send me!”) and a portrait of Kirk, as well as a bracelet that reads “We Are Charlie Kirk” for every seat. Christian music surrounds the stadium as people have begun to file into their seats.
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