President Donald Trump announced Thursday that he will award his close ally, Charlie Kirk, a posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor, after the conservative activist was assassinated on a college campus.
“Charlie was a giant of his generation, a champion of liberty, and an inspiration to millions and millions of people,” Trump said. “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.”
The president made the announcement at the Pentagon as he began his remarks honoring the lives lost on September 11, 2001.
Trump added that he would announce the Presidential Medal of Freedom ceremony at a later date but promised it would draw “a very big crowd.”
Kirk, the co-founder of conservative youth organization Turning Point USA, was a high-profile figure in Republican circles and close to the president and members of the Trump family. The president credited him as one of the key figures in getting him re-elected by turning out the youth vote.
The 31-year-old Republican activist was shot in the neck while speaking about mass shootings, on the first stop of a college campus tour at Utah Valley University.
Law enforcement are still searching for the suspected shooter who they say appears to be of “college age.” FBI agents in the Salt Lake City bureau released a photo of the suspect on Thursday afternoon, urging anyone with information to come forward.
A motive in the shooting has not been identified yet.
Officials said so far, they’ve recovered a high-powered, bolt-action rifle in a nearby wooded area. Ammunition inside the rifle was engraved with messages of transgender and antifascist ideology, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The FBI declined to comment to The Independent.
Kirk’s murder has sent shockwaves through political circles, particularly impacting Republicans who viewed the media personality as a shining example of the future of the party. Some conservatives, including the president, have characterized Kirk as a martyr.
Medal of Freedom recipients are chosen directly by the president. The award was created in 1945 for those who have made an “especially meritorious contribution” to furthering national interests, cultural endeavors, significant public or private work, as well as world peace.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who stood alongside Trump at the event, also praised Kirk in remarks, saying he was the example “of 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. Like those on 9/11, he will never be forgotten,” Hegeth said.
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