Tens of thousands of people came out Sunday to State Farm Stadium to remember Charlie Kirk, the conservative commentator who was fatally shot during an event at Utah Valley University. Hours before the event started, there were lines outside the venue.
People had signs with the Turning Point USA logo on them, as well as photos of Charlie Kirk. Charlie Kirk founded Turning Point as a teenager.
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“More than anything Charlie wanted to do not his will but God’s will,” Erika Kirk, Charlie Kirk’s widow, said, speaking to the audience on Sunday. “Over these past 11 days, through all the pain, never before have I found as much comfort as I now do in the Lord’s prayer: ‘Thy will be done.’”
Erika Kirk recalled how she was once asked how the couple kept their marriage strong, as Charlie Kirk would be on the road.
“Our little secret: it was love notes. Every Saturday, Charlie wrote one for me and he never missed a Saturday,” she said. “And in every single one of them, he’d tell me what his highlight was for the week, how grateful he was for me and our babies. Always at the end, he’d end it by asking the most beautiful question… ‘Please let me know how I can serve you as a husband.’”
As the new CEO of Turning Point, Erika Kirk said that campus debates like the ones her husband did will continue.
While Erika Kirk said she will miss Charlie, she said in her speech that she forgives the person who killed him.
“I forgive him because it was what Christ did and what Charlie would do,” Erika Kirk said. “The answer to hate is not hate. The answer we know from the gospel is love, and always love — love for our enemies and love for those who persecute us.”
Trump, cabinet members speak
President Donald Trump also gave remarks, saying “I have a feeling [Turning Point USA] will be bigger and better than ever before.”
“Charlie Kirk loved America with everything he had, and as we can see so clearly today, America loved Charlie Kirk,” Trump said. “For millions of Americans, especially young people, it is agonizing and unthinkable to say goodbye to a patriot whose heart still had so much to give.”
Members of President Donald Trump’s cabinet, including White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, all spoke as well.
One speaker, Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, said that instead of killing Charlie Kirk, the person who shot him “made him immortal.”
“You have no idea the dragon you have awakened, you have no idea how determined we will be to save this civilization, to save the West, to save this republic,” Miller said.
NBC News reported officers from the FBI, Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration and Secret Service were on site at the service.
Security at the service
Federal authorities were tracking “threats of unknown credibility” before the memorial service, per a memo obtained by ABC News. This memo allegedly listed Trump, Vance and members of the Kirk family among the people possibly being targeted.
“The U.S. Secret Service has been designated as the Federal Coordinate for this effort,” a statement from the Special Agent in Charge of Phoenix sent to Straight Arrow News said. “Our teams are already on the ground in Phoenix and Glendale, working side-by-side with state, local and federal partners. Together, we are fully committed to ensuring that these solemn events receive the comprehensive protection and support they require.”
An armed man who authorities said was exhibiting “suspicious behavior” was arrested at the stadium the Friday before the service. However, a Turning Point spokesperson and executive producer of “The Charlie Kirk” show, Andrew Kolvet, said on X in response to a Fox News story on the incident that the man was doing advance security for a “known guest” planning to attend the memorial service.
“We do not believe this person was attempting anything nefarious, however the advance was not done in proper coordination with the TPUSA security team or U.S. Secret Service,” Kolvet said. “Also important to note that this was before the site had been fully sealed and locked down. Every precaution is being taken to ensure everyone’s safety.”
