Charlie Kirk memorial: Thousands gather including Donald Trump at packed Arizona stadium
An estimated 100,000 mourners packed into an Arizona stadium for the memorial of the assassinated conservative firebrand Charlie Kirk
People waited in line to enter the memorial for conservative activist Charlie Kirk (Image: AP)
An estimated 100,000 mourners packed into an Arizona stadium for the memorial of the assassinated conservative influencer Charlie Kirk.
The 31 year old founder of Turning Point USA was gunned down on Sept. 10 while addressing students at Utah Valley University. Prosecutors allege the killing was carried out by Tyler Robinson, who had told his partner he’d “had enough” of Kirk’s “hatred.”
The 22 year old has been charged with his murder and prosecutors have said they will seek the death penalty. The Sunday service in Glendale, near Phoenix, was as much a political show of force as a memorial.
Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and senior cabinet members are scheduled to speak, likely to use the stage to eulogize Kirk as a martyr of the conservative cause.
From the early hours, Arizona’s highways were jammed as convoys of buses, pick-up trucks and SUVs carried supporters towards State Farm Stadium, the 70,000-seat home of the Arizona Cardinals.
By dawn, crowds were spilling into surrounding neighborhoods.
At 4:30 a.m., thousands were already gathered outside the gates, singing hymns and clutching Bibles in the desert darkness. Inside, the stadium was transformed into a vast memorial arena.
Worship bands played through towering speakers as giant screens flashed images of the controversial activist.
Speakers included Susan Wiles, Jack Posobiec, Tucker Carlson, Marco Rubio and more(Image: Getty Images)
Organizers prepared an overflow venue for 19,000 next door and later announced a second location after crowds kept arriving. The Department of Homeland Security classified the event as a “national special security event,” comparable to the Super Bowl, reflecting the magnitude of the security concerns.
Mourners waited for hours through airport-style security screenings, surrendering bags and passing through metal detectors while armored vehicles and rooftop snipers maintained vigilance overhead.
Trump, delivering the main address, is expected to present Kirk’s death as evidence that conservative voices face persecution.
With Vice President Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard also present, the ceremony appeared like a gathering of Trump’s administration.
Television personality Tucker Carlson, lawmakers and numerous right-wing personalities were also among those attending.
Kirk’s widow, Erika, is also scheduled to speak at the memorial service. Prior to the event, she revealed that upon reaching the Utah hospital following the shooting, medical staff cautioned her against viewing his remains.
However, she told authorities, “I want to see what they did to my husband.
“His eyes were semi-open,” Kirk recalled. “And he had this knowing, Mona Lisa-like half-smile. Like he’d died happy. Like Jesus rescued him. The bullet came, he blinked, and he was in heaven.”
Doors opened at 8 a.m. ET(Image: Getty Images)
She revealed she hadn’t kissed him goodbye that morning, but kissed him then.
Kirk also expressed she didn’t want to be the person determining whether the suspected gunman received capital punishment. “I’ll be honest. I told our lawyer, I want the government to decide this. I do not want that man’s blood on my ledger,” she said.
Charlie Kirk was fatally shot earlier this month(Image: TikTok)
“Because when I get to heaven, and Jesus is like: ‘Uh, eye for an eye? Is that how we do it?’ And that keeps me from being in heaven, from being with Charlie?”.
Kirk’s mentor, Frank Turek, recounted to the gathered crowd the activist’s final moments.
“When that shot rang out, I took a step toward him, but his security team was on him immediately. And so, Charlie, being like a son to me, I ran toward the security team and we ran to the SUV together,” the Christian radio host and author said.
Erika Kirk is scheduled to speak
“No father would stand back and go, ‘No, you just take my son, take him, I’ll meet you at the hospital.’ I got into the back of the SUV, and let me tell you something, his team was amazing,” he said.
Turek continued to commend the team after the shooting and reassured the audience that they did “everything they were supposed to do.
“I want you to know we did everything we could to save Charlie, but Charlie was already gone. His face was looking at mine, but he wasn’t looking at me; he was looking past me, right into eternity,” Turek said.
He added that Kirk felt no pain and “died instantly.”
The memorial followed weeks of vigils and demonstrations nationwide(Image: AP)
The memorial followed weeks of vigils and demonstrations nationwide. Churches conducted all-night prayer sessions, while Turning Point chapters organized rallies across the US.
In Phoenix, local media reported that churches arranged buses to transport entire congregations to the service. Not all were there to grieve.
Outside the stadium, pockets of protesters voiced their opposition to Kirk’s politics, brandishing signs labeling him as divisive. However, they were overshadowed by the massive pro-Kirk crowd who retorted with chants of “No one is silencing us!”
Authorities reported several heat-related emergencies as temperatures climbed into the mid 80s. Water stations were set up to aid the thousands lining up for entry under the scorching desert sun.
For Turning Point, the memorial served as a call to arms.
Organizers pledged to continue Kirk’s mission of recruiting and mobilizing conservative youth, asserting that his death would not signify an end but rather an intensification.