President Donald Trump on Tuesday is posthumously awarding conservative activist Charlie Kirk the nation’s highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
The ceremony is taking place in the newly-renovated White House Rose Garden.
“Today, we’re here to honor and remember a fearless warrior for liberty, a beloved leader who galvanized the next generation like nobody have 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 said.
Kirk was fatally shot on Sept. 10 while speaking at Utah Valley University on the first stop of his The American Comeback Tour, which invited college students to debate hot-button issues.
Trump was the first to announce later that day that Kirk had died, and the next day said he would be be awarding Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom as he hailed the Turning Point USA founder “a giant of his generation.”
Oct. 14 is Kirk’s birthday. He would have turned 32. The House and Senate previously approved a resolution to mark the date as a “National Day of Remembrance.”
The medal ceremony comes after Trump returned back to Washington in the early hours of Tuesday morning from a trip to the Middle East to celebrate a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas that he helped broker.
Trump said he considering calling Kirk’s wife, Erika, to move the event to later this week but said he decided not to after realizing it was Kirk’s birthday.
The president and Erika Kirk previously shared a heartfelt moment on stage at Kirk’s memorial service in Arizona, hugging after Trump’s closing remarks and after Erika Kirk said she’d forgiven her husband’s killer.
On Tuesday, Trump commended Erika Kirk’s “unbelievable strength” and recounted a story he said Charlie Kirk told him of when they met.
“We will always be here for you. And we’re always going to be here for your gorgeous, beautiful children,” Trump said. Kirk is survived by his wife and their two young children.
“We’ll never forget what your family has sacrificed for our country,” Trump said.
Kirk was influential in building Trump’s movement and was particularly influential among young conservatives. He was a key ally to Trump and a friend to many inside his administration.
“We’re entering his name forever into the eternal roster of true American heroes. He’s a true American hero, an amazing person,” Trump said.
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