The killing of Charlie Kirk: the response, his funeral and his legacy

The killing deepened the country's political divide. Trump ramped up his attacks on the "radical left," whom he blamed,^[15] while former President Barack Obama said the country was at "an inflection point" and that Trump had divided it.^[16] Conservative evangelical leaders hailed Kirk as a martyr,^[17] and some Black pastors said he was not one, while decrying racism and political violence.^[1] Experts said groups linked to the Kremlin spread false claims to widen US divisions,^[18] and the White House asked Congress for $58 million more in security funding.^[19] The House approved a resolution honoring Kirk 310-58,^[20] and the Senate passed a National Day of Remembrance.^[21] The firings and fights over speech after the killing are followed separately.

Kirk's memorial on September 21 filled State Farm Stadium, home of the Arizona Cardinals, with Trump and Vance among the speakers.^[22][23] The day before, an armed man claiming ties to law enforcement was arrested at the stadium.^[24] Erika Kirk told the crowd that she forgave the man accused of killing her husband.^[5] Turning Point named her its chief executive,^[6] and on what would have been his 32nd birthday Trump presented the Medal of Freedom.^[4] In December Erika Kirk denounced conspiracy theories about the killing and met with the podcaster Candace Owens amid a public feud over Owens's claims,^[25][26] and she endorsed a potential Vance presidential bid in 2028.^[7]

Turning Point carried on without him. It staged an "All American Halftime Show" as an alternative to the 2026 Super Bowl halftime show,^[27][28] and Trump appointed Erika Kirk to the Air Force Academy's Board of Visitors.^[29] On the first anniversary, Turning Point held a memorial on the Utah Valley University campus,^[8] Vance honored Kirk at the Republican midterm convention,^[30] and the man who had been debating Kirk moments before the shot described a year of death threats and conspiracy theories.^[31] Later that month an independent review found that the university had several security problems on the day of the killing.^[32]