President Trump will award the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America’s highest civilian honor, to the assassinated right-wing activist Charlie Kirk in a ceremony at the White House on Tuesday.
Mr. Kirk, who was a crucial organizer of the MAGA movement, was fatally shot on Sept. 10 while speaking at an event at Utah Valley University. Mr. Trump announced his death on his social media site, Truth Social, and the following day, the president said he would award a posthumous medal to Mr. Kirk.
“Charlie was a giant of his generation, a champion of liberty and an inspiration to millions and millions of people,” Mr. Trump said at the time. He predicted that there would be a “very big crowd” for the ceremony, which, according to the president’s schedule, will be held in the East Room of the White House.
Mr. Kirk was among the most significant movement leaders in modern American politics and helped to energize young conservatives to back Mr. Trump in the 2024 presidential election. But his rhetoric is divisive, including criticizing gay and transgender rights, and asserting that the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a “mistake.” Some critics have argued that tributes to him as a champion of free speech have made formerly extremist views mainstream.
Mr. Trump returned to the United States early Tuesday morning after a whirlwind trip to Israel and Egypt, taking a victory lap after Israel and Hamas agreed to an initial cease-fire deal last week. Mr. Trump said last week that he would return from the Middle East in time to appear at the ceremony for Mr. Kirk.
Mr. Kirk would have marked his 32nd birthday on Tuesday. In September, the House and Senate approved resolutions making Oct. 14 a “National Day of Remembrance for Charlie Kirk.”
Jonathan Wolfe is a Times reporter based in London, covering breaking news.
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