U.S. President Donald Trump praised conservative activist Charlie Kirk as a “martyr for American freedom” at a memorial service in Arizona on Sunday, while accusing the left of responsibility for his killing without offering evidence.
Tens of thousands filled State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, for a memorial that combined Christian music, emotional tributes and political rhetoric. The 63,000-seat arena appeared full, with mourners waving flags and many in “Make America Great Again” attire. Security was tight, with metal detectors and a large police presence.
Trump’s remarks diverged from the largely solemn tone of other speakers, turning the memorial into a campaign-style rally.
“The violence comes largely from the left,” he said, echoing claims he made before a suspect was detained.
He added, “He did not hate his opponents. That’s where I disagreed with Charlie. I hate my opponents.”
Kirk’s widow, Erika, who has assumed leadership of his group Turning Point USA, delivered an emotional eulogy, telling mourners her husband died “without regrets” and offering forgiveness to the 22-year-old charged with his murder.
“My husband Charlie wanted to save young men, just like the one who took his life,” she said.
Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth also spoke, underlining Kirk’s influence in conservative politics. Vance credited Kirk with mobilising young voters who helped secure Trump’s return to office.
Other speakers, including White House adviser Stephen Miller, struck a combative tone. “You have no idea the dragon you have awakened,” Miller said. “We will fight that much harder to save this civilization.”
Kirk, 31, was shot dead during a campus event in Utah on 10 September. The suspect, a 22-year-old student, has been charged with murder. Investigators are still seeking a motive, examining text messages and inscriptions on bullet casings that could reference groups across the political spectrum.
Civil rights groups had long criticised Kirk for rhetoric they said was racist, anti-immigrant and misogynistic, while supporters praised him as a defender of conservative values. His killing has fuelled concerns about rising political violence in the U.S.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard told mourners that Kirk’s death showed “political fanatics” often resort to violence, but that his voice would now be “louder than ever.”
The memorial highlighted how Kirk’s killing has deepened partisan divides. Critics warned Trump’s rhetoric risks inflaming tensions further at a time of heightened political unrest.
A Russian strike on a gas station in Kyiv has killed two people, the city's Mayor Vitali Klitschk...
Iran said it destroyed a U.S. naval drone at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz, while Washington announced sanctions targeting Iran-backed Katai...
Sixty parents in Indonesia have filed a police complaint after their children fell ill from free meals handed out under a flagship government progr...
Four people were killed, including a child, in Ukrainian strikes on the Russian port city of Novorossiysk overnight, according to the governor of the Krasnodar region. Ukraine's drone forces commander, Robert Brovdi, said Russian military ships were destroyed in the attacks.
Overnight Iranian strikes on an air base in Jordan damaged multiple U.S. aircraft and left one without a wing, American media reported. Meanwhile, explosions were heard across parts of southern Iran according to local media reports.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) said on Wednesday they attacked two U.S. vessels and eight oil tankers in the Persian Gulf, calling the strikes a response to a U.S. attack on five Iranian tankers.
Ukrainian forces struck a Russian oil refinery in Siberia and a seaport in Dagestan in the past 24 hours, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. He will meet Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Thursday to discuss air defences for Ukraine over winter.
Nobel laureate Geoffrey Hinton has warned against rushing to develop artificial superintelligence, arguing that scientists still do not know how to ensure systems more capable than humans remain safe and under control.
A Russian strike on a gas station in Kyiv has killed two people, the city's Mayor Vitali Klitschko said in a statement on Telegram. In Russia, online marketplace Ozon has suspended operations in Saratov, southwestern Russia, following a drone strike on a warehouse in the region.
Sixty parents in Indonesia have filed a police complaint after their children fell ill from free meals handed out under a flagship government programme. It is the first legal challenge against President Prabowo Subianto's signature policy.
Europe's space industry gathered in Paris this week for a landmark summit. But the event has been overshadowed by reports that Washington leaned on major U.S. firms to stay away.
Several people have died and a number of others have been injured after a coach carrying Dutch tourists overturned on a mountain road in eastern Switzerland, police have said.
The attacks of 11 September 2001 killed 2,977 people and reshaped U.S. national security and foreign policy. Nineteen terrorists associated with al-Qaeda hijacked four commercial aircraft in a coordinated operation in New York, Virginia and Pennsylvania.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment