Tens of thousands gathered at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, on Sunday to honor the life of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio remembered him as a bold and impactful leader whose wisdom and influence reached far beyond his 31 years.
In his remarks, Rubio reflected on Kirk’s mission to challenge Marxist ideas on college campuses and inspire young Americans with the belief that the United States is “the greatest, most exceptional nation that has ever existed.” Rubio recalled early doubts about Kirk’s ability to bring that message to universities, doubts he acknowledged were quickly proven wrong as the movement grew.
“He led this movement, but he did so with incredible knowledge,” Rubio told the crowd. “It’s unbelievable how much he knew… But he just didn’t have knowledge. He had wisdom, an uncanny amount of wisdom for a man as young as he was, wisdom that sometimes it takes a lifetime to accumulate. He had it in just 31 years.”
Rubio described Kirk as bold and unafraid to engage with those who disagreed with him. He pointed to accounts, including one from CNN commentator Van Jones, that Kirk had reached out shortly before his death seeking a “respectful conversation” across political divides. “He sought to engage those he disagreed with, because he understood that we were not created to isolate ourselves from one another, but to engage,” Rubio stated.
Days earlier, Rubio had also addressed the backlash abroad to Kirk’s assassination, calling for the U.S. to revoke visas of foreigners who celebrated his killing. He contended such behavior should disqualify individuals from being welcomed in the country, a position echoed by Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau and President Trump.
Rubio spoke about the global response to Kirk’s death, sharing, “I just came from overseas, and every country I stopped, they gave us their condolences for his passing. Impactful in just 31 years of life, he made a difference. He mattered, and he will matter now more than he ever has before.”
Rubio also emphasized Kirk’s influence on younger generations, highlighting the values he encouraged them to uphold.
“I think he had a tremendous impact on young Americans in general. I think he had a very special and direct impact on young men in this country. That’s one of the greatest developments I’ve seen. It’s been very positive. I think we remember him for that. I think we remember him for constantly saying, you want to live a productive life, get married, start a family, love your country,” Rubio remarked.
He closed with a message grounded in Kirk’s Christian beliefs, conveying the hope of eternal reunion through Jesus Christ.
One of the messages Rubio noted Kirk would want people to take away from the memorial centered on his deep belief in the Christian faith: “One of the things he wants us to take away from this, from all of this, is the following his deep belief that we were all created, every single one of us, before the beginning of time by the hands of the God of the universe, an all powerful God who loved us and created us for the purpose of living with Him in eternity. But then sin entered the world and separated us from our Creator.”
“And so God took on the form of a man and came down and lived among us, and He suffered like men, and He died like a man, but on the third day, He rose unlike any mortal man. And then, and to prove any doubters wrong, He ate with his disciples so they could see and they touched His wounds. He didn’t rise as a ghost or as a spirit, but His flesh, and then He rose to the heaven, but He promised he would return, and He will. And when He returns, because He took on that death, because He carried that cross, we were freed from the sin that separated us from Him. And when He returns, there will be a new heaven and a new earth, and we will all be together,” Rubio said.
Rubio finished his tribute with, “we are going to have a great reunion there again with Charlie and all the people we love.”
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