President Trump will posthumously award slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom — the nation’s highest civilian honor, he announced Thursday, less than 24 hours after the influencer was assassinated.
“Charlie was a giant of his generation, a champion of liberty and an inspiration to millions and millions of people,” Trump said of the influential 31-year-old Turning Point USA founder, who was gunned down by a sniper as he spoke at an event at Utah Valley University Wednesday.
“I’m pleased to announce that I will soon be awarding Charlie Kirk posthumously the Presidential Medal of Freedom.”
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Kirk, who was renowned in young conservative circles for his debating skills and fearlessly giving a voice to unpopular truths, garnered millions of followers and billions of views on social media platforms. He authored numerous books, including “Campus Battlefield” and “The MAGA Doctrine.”
He will join the ranks of comedian Lucille Ball, actor John Wayne, and baseball legend Jackie Robinson as posthumous recipients of the award.
“Our prayers are with his wonderful wife, Erika, and his beautiful children,” the president added.
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“The date of the ceremony will be announced, and I can only guarantee you one thing, that we will have a very big crowd. Very, very big.”
Kirk was addressing a crowd of thousands at the kick-off event of his nation-galloping The American Comeback tour when a gunshot rang out in the crowd as he answered an audience member’s question about mass shootings perpetrated by transgender people.
Startling footage appeared to show a dark figure running across a rooftop after the fatal shot was fired, but authorities say the suspect remains at large, despite taking a person into custody hours later, who was later released after being interrogated.