Trump greets Charlie Kirk as “ American hero ” while thousands of people fill the commemorative service

US President Donald Trump welcomed conservative activist Charlie Kirk as “great American hero” and “martyr” during a speech to tens of thousands of people in mourning during a commemorative service in Arizona.

Trump was the title of the head of the crowded event on Sunday, which saw the senior officials of his administration, including vice-president JD Vance, praise Kirk of political heritage after being shot on September 10.

“He was murdered because he was courageously lived, he lived boldly and he argued brilliantly,” Trump told the crowd at the State Farm Stadium near Phoenix.

Kirk’s wife Erika also delivered a tears in which she said that she had forgiven the alleged killer of her husband.

“My husband, Charlie, he wanted to save young men, just like the one who took his life,” she said, adding: “I forgive him because that’s what Christ did. The response to hatred is not hatred.”

Tens of thousands of people have laid out for hours outside the stadium before the event, some even camping the day before to secure their place. Many led to make America hats (Maga), other Trump brand objects and red, white and blue outfits.

Inside the stadium, the atmosphere and the atmosphere looked like a noisy political rally with music in advance of Christian groups which prompted the standing singles of the crowd of almost 100,000.

The list of speakers included members of the Kirk organization, Turning Point USA, which focuses on conservative activism on university campuses, well -known personalities of the Conservative movement, those responsible for the Trump administration and those who said they were shaped by Kirk’s work and the vision of the Christian world of the right.

They underlined the need to continue the 31 -year activism and underlined his deep faith throughout the five -hour service. Kirk, who debated students in a University in Utah when he was shot down by a nearby roof, was described several times as a martyr.

Other speakers said they thought that his death would revitalize the conservative moment in America more, which is already in a powerful position given the hand on the White House and republican control of the Congress.

“The day Charlie died, the angels cried, but these tears were transformed into fire in our hearts,” said Stephen Miller, the deputy chief of the White House. “Our enemies cannot understand our strength.”

In the stands of the State Farm Stadium, Kirk was venerated as an activist of freedom of expression and a mobilizing young votes for Trump. “Charlie did not just help, he made the winning difference, I promise you,” said Susie Wiles, Chief of the White House.

“We would not be here without him,” said vice-president JD Vance to the crowd, who sometimes broke out in a prolonged song of “USA, USA”.

“We have it from here,” he added, while discussing Kirk’s political heritage.

Vance was one of the many key personalities of the Trump administration who spoke on stage, with others, notably Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the secretary of the war Pete Hegseth and the secretary of Heath, Robert F Kennedy Jr.

They were followed by Kirk’s wife, Erika, who was sometimes in tears by describing her relationship and promised to continue the work of her husband. She was appointed new CEO of Turning Point USA after her death.

“I saw the injury that ended his life,” she said. “I felt everything he expected to feel. I felt a shock. I felt horror and a level of grief that I did not even know existed.

“These last 10 days after the assassination of Charlie, we have not seen any violence. We have not seen riots. We have not seen the revolution. Instead, we have seen what my husband has always prayed for him to see in this country, we saw the renewal,” Kirk told the crowd.

She then said that she had forgiven the alleged killer of her husband, Tyler Robinson, 22. “This man, this young man, I forgive him. I forgive him because that was what Christ did and that is what Charlie would do,” said Kirk.

There was a noisy reception when President Trump went on stage after Erika Kirk. He has repeatedly congratulated Charlie Kirk, while sometimes turning to his usual political discussion points, including crime in American cities and making fun of his predecessor Joe Biden.

“He is now a martyr for American freedom,” said Trump about Kirk. “I know that I speak for everyone here today when I say that none of us will never forget Charlie. And no longer history.”

The president then declared that he disagreed with Kirk on one thing. “He did not hate his opponents, he wanted the best for them,” he said, causing laughter. “This is where I do not agree with Charlie. I hate my opponents and I don’t want what suits them best.”

Trump also attacked what he called the “radical left” and blamed the left for violence in the country.

At the end of his speech, in which he described Kirk as a “big of his generation”, Trump was joined on stage by Erika Kirk and the couple hugged while the crowd applauded.

The deeply partisan event reflected the way in which the death of Kirk exposed the extreme political divisions in America, with a lot of blame on the right to the left for having attributed political violence.

The Trump administration seeks a repression on what it calls the “radical left”, which in turn caused accusations of overcoming government and affirms that Kirk’s death is used as a pretext to interfere on civil freedoms.

Robinson, who was accused of the murder of Kirk, faces the death penalty, but a reason for murder has not yet been revealed by officials.

Kirk was 18 years old when he co -founded Turning Point USA, a student organization focused on the dissemination of conservative ideas on university campuses.

He would hold debates on campuses and had become known for his combative style, inviting students to go to the microphone and challenge his Christian vision of the right world in front of a bathing audience.

Extracts from these exchanges have built him a huge audience – more than 5 million followers on X and 7M on Tiktok – which helped him mobilize young people for President Trump.

Although he energizes young conservatives, his remarks on questions such as race and crime have also systematically caused an angry liberal reaction. He was a fervent supporter of firearms, vehemently opposed to abortion, criticized the rights of transgender and promoted false complaints on COVID-19.