President Trump on Thursday announced he will posthumously award conservative activist Charlie Kirk with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, a day after Kirk was shot and killed while speaking to a large crowd at Utah Valley University.
The president made the announcement at the top of his remarks at the Pentagon where he was commemorating the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. He said the date of the medal ceremony will be announced later.
“Before we begin, let me express the horror and grief so many Americans at the heinous assassination of Charlie Kirk,” Trump said. “Charlie was a giant of his generation, a champion of liberty and an inspiration to millions and millions of people.”
Trump called Kirk’s family “fantastic people.”
“We miss him greatly and yet I have no doubt that Charlie’s voice… will live on,” he said.
Kirk, a leading voice in the MAGA movement, was shot in the neck at Utah Valley University while speaking to a large crowd during an event billed as “The American Comeback Tour.”
Vice President JD Vance traveled to Salt Lake City, Utah on Thursday to pay his respects to the family of Kirk.
Trump on Wednesday night, in a video posted online, said that he was “filled with grief and anger” at the fatal shooting of Kirk, calling Kirk a “martyr for truth and freedom.”
Kirk’s death has stoked fears of more political violence and as of Thursday morning, a manhunt is still underway for the assassin.
Authorities said they recovered what is believed to be the rifle used and said they have good footage of the suspect but have no plans to publish it at this time. They believe the suspect to be of college age.
