Washington: In a deeply emotional ceremony at the White House, U.S. President Donald Trump posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Charlie Kirk, the right-wing activist who was shot dead on a Utah college campus last month.
Calling Kirk a “martyr for truth and freedom”, Trump said the 31-year-old conservative had become “a symbol of courage and conviction in the face of left-wing extremism.”
“In the wake of Charlie’s assassination, our country must have absolutely no tolerance for this radical left violence, extremism and terror,” Trump declared before a crowd of conservative leaders and family members.
“We’re done with the angry mobs, and we’re not going to let our cities be unsafe.”
Trump, 79, also compared Kirk to Socrates, Saint Peter, Abraham Lincoln, and Martin Luther King Jr., saying each had been “willing to stand for truth even when it cost them everything.”
The event, attended by Argentinian President Javier Milei and several prominent conservative media figures, marked a poignant moment in the ongoing political tensions following Kirk’s killing.
Im in tears. Erika Kirk just told President Trump that he has given Charlie Kirk the best Birthday Present
— MAGA Voice (@MAGAVoice) October 14, 2025
“I can say with confidence Mr President you have given him the best birthday gift he could have”
AMEN 🙏 pic.twitter.com/GCrfMOrdem
The Ceremony and Tribute
Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, accepted the medal on behalf of her late husband, breaking down in tears as she addressed the audience.
“You have given him the best birthday gift he could ever have,” she told Trump, thanking him for returning early from a Middle East peace trip to attend the ceremony, which coincided with what would have been Kirk’s 32nd birthday.
She added that her husband — known for mobilizing millions of young conservatives on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube — had dreamed big:
“Charlie would probably have run for president one day if he hadn’t been assassinated.”
Political Fallout and Investigation
Kirk’s murder last month sent shockwaves through conservative circles and prompted Trump to deploy National Guard troops to several Democrat-run cities, promising a broader crackdown on what he described as “radical left violence.”
Authorities have charged Tyler Robinson, 22, with Kirk’s murder. Prosecutors confirmed that Robinson faces the death penalty if convicted.
The tragic killing has intensified partisan divides across the United States, with Trump’s supporters hailing Kirk as a conservative icon whose death has galvanized their movement.