(LifeSiteNews) — President Donald Trump announced this morning that he will be awarding the Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously to Charlie Kirk following his assassination during a college campus presentation in Utah on Wednesday.
“Charlie was a giant of his generation, a champion of liberty and an inspiration to millions and millions of people,” the 47th U.S. president said during a ceremony honoring the lives lost in the September 11, 2001, attack.
“We miss him greatly, yet I have no doubt that Charlie’s voice and the courage he put into the hearts of countless people, especially young people, will live on,” Trump said.
Kirk, 31, was the founder of Turning Point USA, a nonprofit outreach group focused on promoting politically conservative values and priorities to young people, particularly in their high school and college years.
A staunch supporter of Trump during his 2024 presidential campaign, Kirk enjoyed a close relationship with the president and his family, often appearing at campaign events with Donald Trump Jr. and traveling with him to places like Greenland in January to promote his father’s agenda.
President Trump’s decision to award Charlie Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom is a bold tribute to a fearless patriot. Charlie fought for life, faith, and freedom with unmatched passion. This honor reflects the heart of our movement. Let’s keep his legacy alive!… pic.twitter.com/OuuYxj7sJj
— Frank Pavone (@frfrankpavone) September 11, 2025
“I’m pleased to announce that I will soon be awarding Charlie Kirk posthumously the Presidential Medal of Freedom,” Trump continued. “The date of the ceremony will be announced, and I can only guarantee you one thing that we will have a very big crowd.”
Kirk was fatally shot while hosting a Turning Point event at Utah Valley University in what is considered to be a targeted attack. As of Thursday morning, law enforcement is still actively searching for the suspect responsible for the sniper-shot killing.
Many commentators believe it was an act of political violence given Kirk’s conservative views and his significant impact on the zoomer generation. Law enforcement said that they found a rifle near Utah Valley’s campus with cartridges all “engraved” with expressions of “transgender and anti-fascist ideology.”
Given his youth and talent and the enormous following Kirk had within the young generation, many commentators saw him as having an extraordinary future in Republican politics, thus making him not only beloved to his base but a threat to his enemies.
“Charlie Kirk would have been president,” tweeted popular podcaster Michael Knowles. “His friends knew it. His admirers knew it. And his enemies knew it.”
Also speaking at the event was Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth who, in a tribute to Charlie Kirk, called him “a Christ follower and American patriot.”
“Charlie, we love you, we know that you have heard the Lord’s words. Well done, good and faithful servant,” said Hegseth. “Like those on 9/11, he will never be forgotten.”
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