Erika Kirk: Everything Charlie built will become greater through his memory
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President Trump and Erika Kirk embrace on stage at State Farm Stadium on Sunday at a memorial event in honor of slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Charlie Kirk's allies, friends and family vowed to continue his work and predicted that the conservative activist's assassination would propel his movement to new heights as tens of thousands of people gathered to mourn his death.
The big picture: President Trump, Vice President JD Vance, numerous administration officials and other prominent Republican figures eulogized Kirk at State Farm Stadium on Sunday, testifying to his Christian faith, conservative beliefs, his love for the U.S. and his work in building Turning Point USA into a juggernaut of conservative politics.
- State Farm Stadium, which can hold up to 73,000 people, was filled to capacity, while thousands more watched from neighboring Desert Diamond Arena, the Arizona Republic reported.
- In total, around 200,000 turned out for the event, per the New York Post.
State of play: Numerous speakers, including Trump, called Kirk a "martyr" following his murder at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10, and urged the crowd to follow his advice to get married, have children, build a legacy and pass on their values.
- Everything that Kirk built, "we will make 10 times greater through the power of his memory," said his widow Erika Kirk, who was named Turning Point USA's new CEO last week.
- Trump said Kirk was now "immortal" and history will never forget him because "his voice on Earth will echo through the generations and his name will live forever in the eternal chronicle of America's greatest patriots."
- From the Arizona desert, Kirk built a movement that "transformed the face of conservatism in our time and in doing so he changed the course of history," Vance said.
Zoom in: In a day filled with passionate tributes, the most emotional moments came while Erika Kirk eulogized her husband.
- She repeatedly dabbed her eyes and fought tears as she recalled her husband's work and faith.
- "After Charlie's assassination we didn't see violence. We didn't see rioting," Erika Kirk said to thunderous cheers from the crowd. "We didn't see revolution. Instead we saw what my husband always prayed we would see in this country. We saw revival."
- She spoke of how her husband wanted to save young men like the one accused of taking his life, saying, "That young man, I forgive him. … I forgive him because it was what Christ did, and it is what Charlie would do."
Flashback: Kirk founded Turning Point USA in 2012, and in 2018 he moved the organization from suburban Chicago to Phoenix, where it became a potent political force locally and throughout the country.
- Tyler Bowyer, the former COO of Turning Point USA who currently holds the same position with Turning Point Action, the organization's political arm, recalled convincing Kirk to move his organization to Arizona, which he said became an easier sell due to a Trump rally in Phoenix in 2015.