From the Liveblog of
Sunday, September 21, 2025
Charlie Kirk lauded at Arizona memorial as galvanizing force for conservatism
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Tens of thousands of mourners dressed in red, white and blue have turned out to honor Charlie Kirk at a memorial service in Arizona, where his fellow conservatives praise him as an inspirational Christian leader and vow to carry on with the political movement he started.
President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and several cabinet members are scheduled to pay tribute to the charismatic Kirk 11 days after he was assassinated during a campus event in Utah.
The memorial, organized by Kirk’s conservative youth advocacy organization Turning Point USA, has the feel of a religious revival mixed with a “Make America Great Again” political rally.
Conservative podcaster Benny Johnson credits Kirk with helping him move past an addiction to alcohol to lead a more moral, Christian life. Like many speakers, he echoes Kirk’s exhortation to young men to get married and have children.
“Did Charlie bring you closer to God?” Johnson asks, drawing a resounding “yes” from the crowd.
Stephen Miller, the powerful White House adviser, vows to use Kirk’s death as a galvanizing force to finish the work he began.
“We will carry Charlie and Erika in our heart every single day, and fight that much harder because of what you did to us,” Miller says. “You have no idea the dragon you have awakened. You have no idea how determined we will be to save this civilization, to save the West, to save the republic.”
The Times of Israel Community.