Trump and MAGA movement will honor Charlie Kirk at Arizona memorial

President Donald Trump and salient members of his "Make America Great Again" question volition wage tribute Sunday to blimpish activistic Charlie Kirk, whose slaying has marked a awesome infinitesimal successful America's fraught governmental atmosphere.

The memorial work for Kirk, whom Trump credits with playing a pivotal relation successful his 2024 predetermination victory, is expected to gully tens of thousands of mourners, including Vice President JD Vance, elder White House officials and young conservatives shaped by the 31-year-old firebrand.

Kirk's assassination astatine a Sept. 10 quality connected a Utah assemblage field has acceptable disconnected a fierce statement astir violence, decency and escaped code successful an epoch of heavy governmental division. The shooting besides has stirred fearfulness among immoderate Americans that Trump is trying to harness outrage implicit the sidesplitting arsenic justification to suppress the voices of his critics and governmental opponents.

The work volition instrumentality spot astatine State Farm Stadium, the location of the NFL's Arizona Cardinals westbound of Phoenix, wherever Kirk's Turning Point enactment is based. Security is expected to beryllium tight, with a akin level of national instrumentality enforcement beingness arsenic for the Super Bowl oregon different high-profile event.

Trump has blamed the "radical left" for Kirk's decease and threatened to spell aft wide organizations and donors oregon others whom helium feels are maligning oregon celebrating Kirk's death.

He criticized House Democrats who voted against a House solution that praised "the beingness and legacy" of Kirk, which passed the Republican-controlled House connected Friday.

"Who could ballot against that? All (Republicans) were saying was 'Please condemn the assassination of a quality being,'" Trump told reporters. "And (Democrats) said, 'No, no, we're not going to bash that.'"

Dozens of people, from journalists to teachers, already person mislaid their jobs arsenic salient blimpish activists and medication officials people comments astir Kirk that they deem violative oregon celebratory. The retaliation has successful crook ignited a statement implicit the First Amendment arsenic the Trump medication promises retribution against those who aerial what are seen arsenic disparaging remarks successful the aftermath of Kirk's death.

ABC pulled Jimmy Kimmel's late-night show disconnected the aerial indefinitely pursuing backlash from affiliated broadcasters and the Trump-appointed caput of the Federal Communications Commission implicit the comedian's remarks astir Kirk.

The State Department besides has warned it would revoke the visas of immoderate foreigners who celebrated Kirk's assassination.

A 22-year-old Utah man, Tyler Robinson, has been charged with sidesplitting Kirk and faces the decease punishment if convicted of the astir superior charges. Authorities person not revealed a wide motive successful the shooting, but prosecutors accidental Robinson wrote successful a substance to his spouse pursuing the shooting that helium "had enough" of Kirk's hatred.

Turning Point, the radical Kirk founded to mobilize young Christian conservatives, became a multimillion-dollar cognition nether his enactment with tremendous reach.

The tens of thousands expected to capable the stadium successful Glendale for Kirk's memorial is simply a testament to the monolithic power helium accumulated successful blimpish America.

Kirk was a provocateur who astatine times made statements that immoderate called racist, misogynistic, anti-immigrant and transphobic. That has drawn backlash from conservatives who presumption the disapproval arsenic cherry-picking a fewer prime moments to insult the bequest they spot of an inspirational blimpish leader.

Kirk was a MAGA personage with a loyal pursuing that turned retired to enactment oregon reason with him arsenic helium traveled the state for the events similar the 1 astatine Utah Valley University, wherever helium was fatally shot. Kirk grew the organization, successful ample part, done the unit of his property and debating chops.

Arizona is the adopted location authorities of Kirk, who grew up extracurricular Chicago and founded Turning Point determination earlier moving the enactment to Phoenix. Vance, who has said Kirk's advocacy was a large crushed Trump picked him to service arsenic vice president, transported Kirk's casket from Utah to Arizona aboard Air Force Two the time aft his death, and helium aboriginal served arsenic a impermanent big of Kirk's podcast.

Scheduled speakers astatine the work see Trump, Vance, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. Donald Trump Jr., right-wing commentator Tucker Carlson and White House aides Stephen Miller and Sergio Gor besides are slated to speak.

Longtime worship person Chris Tomlin volition supply music, on with different large names successful modern Christian music, including Brandon Lake, Phil Wickham, and husband-and-wife duo Kari Jobe Carnes and Cody Carnes.

Kirk's widow, who has been named Turning Point's caller leader, besides volition speak. Erika Kirk pledged successful an affectional code days aft his decease that "the question my hubby built volition not die."