Charlie Kirk’s widow has said she forgives her late husband’s killer in an emotional tribute at a memorial service – as US President Donald Trump hailed the slain MAGA influencer as a “great American hero”.
Erika Kirk looked up at the heavens and mouthed “I love you”, before speaking about his devotion to Christianity, his family and his activism.
The memorial, organised by his conservative youth advocacy group Turning Point USA 11 days after Mr Kirk was assassinated, drew tens of thousands of mourners dressed in red, white and blue who filled State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
Mr Kirk's widow said in the midst of her grief she was finding comfort that her husband left this world without regrets.
“My husband, Charlie, he wanted to save young men, just like the one who took his life,” said Erika Kirk, who is taking over as Turning Point's leader.
She added: “I forgive him.” The couple have two young children.
President Trump hailed the slain conservative activist as a “martyr for American freedom” and vowed at his memorial service to carry on his work, while again accusing what he called the “radical left” for Kirk's murder.
“The violence comes largely from the left,” Trump said without citing any evidence.
Trump has been blaming the left for the deadly shooting before a suspect was even detained. His messaging reflected the dual nature of Kirk's memorial, which had the feel of a religious revival mixed with a Make America Great Again rally.
Other political figures cast Mr Kirk's death as a pivotal moment in the conservative movement, exhorting followers to finish the work he began in sometimes aggressive language.
“We will carry Charlie and Erika in our heart every single day, and fight that much harder because of what you did to us,” Stephen Miller, the powerful White House adviser, said in a fiery speech.
“You have no idea the dragon you have awakened. You have no idea how determined we will be to save this civilisation, to save the West, to save the republic.”
The memorial featured a number of leading Christian rock artists, giving it the air at times of a megachurch Sunday service. As music filled the arena, some men and women closed their eyes and swayed with their arms in the air, tears rolling down their cheeks.
The arena, which normally has a capacity of 63,000, appeared completely full. Crowds of people, many wearing MAGA attire, arrived before dawn to secure seats inside the stadium, where they encountered metal detectors amid tight security.
Other speakers included Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, more evidence of Mr Kirk's political influence.
Vice President JD Vance credited Mr Kirk with helping get Trump elected last year by mobilising young voters.
“Our whole administration is here, but not just because we love Charlie as a friend, even though we did, but because we know we wouldn’t be here without him,” Mr Vance said.
Mr Kirk, 31, was killed with a single bullet as he answered an audience member's question at a campus event in Utah. Tyler Robinson, a 22-year-old technical college student, has been charged with Mr Kirk's murder, and investigators say he told his romantic partner in text messages that he killed him because he had “enough of his hate”.
Civil rights groups criticised Mr Kirk for rhetoric, pointing to numerous examples they described as racist, anti-immigrant, transphobic and misogynistic. His backers say he was a defender of conservative values and a champion of free speech.
His death has raised fears about the growing frequency of US political violence across the ideological spectrum, while also deepening partisan divides.
