President Donald Trump will posthumously award Charlie Kirk with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the United States.
“Charlie was a giant of his generation, a champion of liberty and an inspiration to millions and millions of people,” Trump said during a commemoration of 9/11 on Thursday at the Pentagon. “Our prayers are with his wonderful wife, Erika, and his beautiful children.”
Kirk’s family will be presented with the award at a later date, Trump said.
On Wednesday, Kirk, a 31-year-old right-wing activist and podcaster, was fatally shot while speaking at an event at Utah Valley University. The shooter is still at large, but on Thursday morning, the FBI said authorities believed they had recovered the weapon used in the shooting, as well as a “footwear impression, a palm print and forearm imprints for analysis.”
Trump confirmed Kirk’s death just a few hours after the shooting.
“The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead,” Trump wrote Wednesday on Truth Social. “No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie. He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us. Melania and my Sympathies go out to his beautiful wife Erika, and family. Charlie, we love you!”
Trump ordered all American flags to be flown at half staff until Sunday evening. Several Democratic politicians, including former President Joe Biden and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), also condemned the shooting.
Past recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom have included barrier-breaking Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, Mexican American labor activist Cesar Chavez, poet and civil rights activist Maya Angelou and LGBTQ icon Harvey Milk.
Kirk, meanwhile, founded the conservative nonprofit Turning Point USA, which promotes right-wing beliefs to college students. He was known for holding events on college campuses where he would debate topics like mass shootings, race and gender, expressing racist, sexist, transphobic and nationalist ideas.
JOSH EDELSON via Getty Images
Kirk recently went viral for opining on his podcast that pop star Taylor Swift should “submit” to her fiancé, NFL player Travis Kelce. Before his event on Wednesday, a petition with nearly 1,000 signatures asked Utah Valley University not to allow Kirk to speak on campus.
“We advocate for speakers who inspire inclusivity and unity, rather than division,” the petition reads. “Universities are meant to be places of learning, growth, and unity. Giving a platform to someone whose views are in direct opposition to these principles undermines UVU’s commitment to being ‘a place for you.’”
Since his death, many of Kirk’s inflammatory comments have resurfaced, including his remark that upholding the Second Amendment at the expense of some American lives is a “prudent deal.” He opposed abortion rights, including exceptions for rape.