(NewsNation) — Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., believes Charlie Kirk’s impact on society warrants a statue of him alongside other iconic American figures in President Trump’s planned “National Garden of American Heroes.”
Cassidy joined “Elizabeth Vargas Reports” on Wednesday as Kirk’s wife, Erika, and Vice President JD Vance spoke at the “This Is the Turning Point Tour” event at the University of Mississippi.
“Ask why there are 9,500 students there, ask why there’s a motivation by young people to drive from neighboring states to be there,” Cassidy responded when asked why a statue of Kirk belongs in the garden.
“In that garden, Charlie represents for young people what other iconic people represent for others. Why should we not honor someone who’s engaged in a way which was so positive, reaching out to those who disagreed, and in turn brought people into the political process in a constructive, civil way, as opposed to a violent, angry way?” he added.
Earlier this year, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to revive plans he outlined during his first term to have a “National Garden of American Heroes” built.
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Under his 2020 executive order, Trump called for the statue garden to be opened by the country’s 250th birthday: July 4, 2026.
During a speech at Mount Rushmore in July 2020, Trump suggested that his decision to sign the order came in response to what he described as “cancel culture” by “angry mobs” looking to “wipe out our history, defame our heroes, erase our values and indoctrinate our children.”
TPUSA’s new tour, led by Erika Kirk, replaces the “American Comeback Tour” as TPUSA’s college speaking program after Kirk was assassinated while speaking to students at Utah Valley University in the tour’s first stop Sept. 10.
