Trump and his MAGA movement will honor Charlie Kirk at an Arizona memorial service

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — President Donald Trump and prominent members of his “Make America Great Again” movement will pay tribute Sunday to conservative activist Charlie Kirk, whose slaying has marked a signal moment in America’s fraught political atmosphere.

The memorial service for Kirk, whom Trump credits with playing a pivotal role in his 2024 election victory, is expected to draw tens of thousands of mourners, including Vice President JD Vance, senior White House officials and young conservatives shaped by the 31-year-old firebrand.

“We’re going to celebrate the life of a great man today,” Trump told reporters as he left the White House on Sunday morning to make his way to Arizona for the service. “It will be a tough day.”

Kirk’s assassination at a Sept. 10 appearance on a Utah college campus has set off a fierce debate about violence, decency and free speech in an era of deep political division. The shooting also has stirred fear among some Americans that Trump is trying to harness outrage over the killing as justification to suppress the voices of his critics and political opponents.

The service will take place at State Farm Stadium, the home of the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals west of Phoenix, where Kirk’s Turning Point organization is based. Security is expected to be tight, with a similar level of federal law enforcement presence as for the Super Bowl or other high-profile event.

Members of the public began lining up outside the stadium before dawn to secure a spot, several hours before the start of the service.

Comments about Kirk have become a Trump administration target

Trump has blamed the “radical left” for Kirk’s death and threatened to go after liberal organizations and donors or others whom he feels are maligning or celebrating Kirk’s death.

He criticized House Democrats who voted against a resolution that praised “the life and legacy” of Kirk, which passed the Republican-controlled chamber Friday.

“Who could vote against that? All (Republicans) were saying was ‘Please condemn the assassination of a human being,’” Trump told reporters. “And (Democrats) said, ’No, no, we’re not going to do that.’”

Dozens of people, from journalists to teachers, already have lost their jobs as prominent conservative activists and administration officials target comments about Kirk that they deem offensive or celebratory. The retaliation has in turn ignited a debate over the First Amendment as the Republican administration promises retribution against those who air what are seen as disparaging remarks in the wake of Kirk’s death.

ABC pulled Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show off the air indefinitely following backlash from affiliated broadcasters and the Trump-appointed head of the Federal Communications Commission over the comedian’s remarks about Kirk.

The State Department has warned it would revoke the visas of any foreigners who celebrated Kirk’s assassination.

A 22-year-old Utah man, Tyler Robinson, has been charged with killing Kirk and faces the death penalty if convicted of the most serious charges. Authorities have not revealed a clear motive in the shooting, but prosecutors say Robinson wrote in a text to his partner following the shooting that he “had enough” of Kirk’s hatred.

Kirk’s legacy of conservative political influence

Turning Point, the group Kirk founded to mobilize young Christian conservatives, became a multimillion-dollar operation under his leadership with enormous reach.

The crowd expected to fill the stadium in Glendale for Kirk’s memorial is a testament to the massive influence he accumulated in conservative America.

His impact on modern-day conservatism went beyond U.S. shores.

Kirk “was very effective because he was convinced of his views and knew how to argue them,” Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni said at a political rally Sunday in Rome. “But he never stopped smiling, never stopped respecting his interlocutor and anyone who challenged him.”

Kirk was a provocateur who at times made statements that some called racist, misogynistic, anti-immigrant and transphobic. That has drawn backlash from conservatives who view the criticism as cherry-picking a few select moments to insult the legacy they see of an inspirational conservative leader.

Kirk was a MAGA celebrity with a loyal following that turned out to support or argue with him as he traveled the country for the events like the one at Utah Valley University, where he was fatally shot. Kirk grew the organization, in large part, through the force of his personality and debating chops.

Arizona is the adopted home state of Kirk, who grew up outside Chicago and founded Turning Point there before moving the organization to Phoenix. Vance, who has said Kirk’s advocacy was a big reason Trump picked him to serve as vice president, transported Kirk’s casket from Utah to Arizona aboard Air Force Two the day after his death, and he later served as a guest host of Kirk’s podcast.

Scheduled speakers at the service include Trump, Vance, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. Donald Trump Jr., right-wing commentator Tucker Carlson and White House aides Stephen Miller and Sergio Gor also are set to speak.

Longtime worship leader Chris Tomlin will provide music, along with other big names in contemporary Christian music, including Brandon Lake, Phil Wickham, and husband-and-wife duo Kari Jobe Carnes and Cody Carnes.

Kirk’s widow, who has been named Turning Point’s new leader, also will speak. Erika Kirk pledged in an emotional speech days after his death that “the movement my husband built will not die.”

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Madhani reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Tiffany Stanley in Washington and Silvia Stellacci in Rome contributed to this report.