President Donald Trump announced Thursday he will award the late Charlie Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom following his murder at a university event.
The Turning Point founder was shot and killed while speaking at Utah Valley University. Kirk was 31. Speaking at the Pentagon to mark the anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks Thursday, Trump said he would honor his close friend.
“Before we begin let me express the horror and grief of so many Americans of the heinous assassination of Charlie Kirk have felt,” Trump said. “Charlie was a giant of his generation, a champion of liberty and an inspiration to millions and millions of people. Our prayers are with his wonderful wife Erika and his beautiful children. Fantastic people they are. We miss him greatly. I have no doubt that Charlie’s voice and the courage he put into the hearts of countless people, especially young people, will live on.”
“I am pleased to announce that I will soon be awarding Charlie Kirk, posthumously, the Presidential Medal of Freedom,” he added.
A makeshift memorial in honor of youth activist and influencer Charlie Kirk who was shot during a public event is seen at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, on September 10, 2025. (Photo by MELISSA MAJCHRZAK/AFP via Getty Images)
Trump confirmed Kirk’s death Wednesday after initial reports said the 31-year-old was in critical condition. A gunshot rang out while Kirk was speaking to students, and a university spokesperson told the Daily Caller the shot came from a building about 200 yards away. Video showed security carrying Kirk’s body from the scene.
A local college student at the event told the Caller that Kirk was answering a question about religion when “all of a sudden, out of nowhere, there was this loud bang, just one shot, bang. And I saw him hit in the neck, and I saw red gushing blood out of it.”
A Utah Valley University spokesperson originally told the Caller that a suspect was in custody, but the FBI later said it had released two people initially believed to be connected to the shooting.
At the time of publication, the shooter remains at large. Authorities revealed at a Thursday morning press conference that the gunman arrived on campus shortly after 11:50 a.m., climbed up a stairwell to a rooftop, and fled into a nearby neighborhood after firing. Officials also shared that they recovered a weapon in a wooded area and obtained footage of the suspect, which they have chosen not to release.
They referred to the suspect as a male “of college age.”
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