President Donald Trump held a National Day of Remembrance for Charlie Kirk on the slain American activist’s birthday, October 14th. The event was held at the East Room of the White House, with President Trump attending. Also attending were his wife, Erika Kirk.
Trump said of Charlie, “Charlie was a champion in every way; he didn’t like losing…He was assassinated in the prime of his life for boldly speaking the truth, for living his faith and relentlessly fighting for a better and stronger America,” Trump said. “He loved this country and that’s why it’s my privilege to posthumously award Charles James Kirk, our nation’s highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.”
Erica Kirk responded to Trump, “Honestly, President Trump, I have spent 7.5 years trying to find the perfect birthday gift for Charlie…but now I can say with confidence, Mr. President, that you have given him the best birthday gift he could ever have.”
President Donald Trump sent a message to his late friend Charlie Kirk with an engraving on the back of the Presidential Medal of Freedom that included his name and a cross.
During a ceremony on Tuesday at the White House in the Rose Garden, Trump posthumously awarded Kirk the nation’s highest civilian honor when he presented the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Erika Kirk. Kirk would have turned 32 on Tuesday if he hadn’t been killed by an assassin while on the campus of Utah Valley University on September 10.
Charlie Kirk was assassinated in the prime of his life for speaking the truth, living his faith, & relentlessly fighting for America.
That is why today President Trump posthumously awarded Charlie Kirk our nation’s highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/Bqd1hr9byX
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) October 15, 2025