OAN Staff Katherine Mosack
9:44 AM – Wednesday, September 10, 2025
President Donald Trump announced his intention to award Charlie Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom, following his heinous assassination in Orem, Utah.
The president made the announcement at the Pentagon on Thursday, just before speaking at a memorial event marking the 24th anniversary of 9/11, the largest terror attack on American soil, which killed nearly 3,000 people in 2001.
On Wednesday afternoon, Kirk hosted an event with the youth activism group he co-founded, Turning Point USA (TPUSA), at Utah Valley University. This event, like many others TPUSA has hosted, had an open mic for students to ask questions and engage in respectful debate with Kirk.
A gunman shot a single bullet from a rooftop approximately 200 yards away, striking Kirk in the neck and causing him to fall from his chair. He was rushed to a nearby hospital in critical condition, but was confirmed to be deceased less than two hours after the attack.
“Before we begin, let me express the horror and grief so many Americans at 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.”
Kirk, 31 years old at the time of his death on Wednesday, is survived by his wife, 36-year-old Erika Kirk, and his two children. His oldest, Charity Kirk, is four years old, and his youngest son celebrated his first birthday in May.
Erika, a 2012 Miss Arizona USA winner, posted a bible verse to X on Wednesday, just after her husband was shot:
“Psalm 46:1 – God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble,” she wrote.
Charlie and Erika Kirk began their relationship in 2018, after a deep “conversation and banter over theology, philosophy and politics,” according to a 2023 social media post made by Erika. Charlie proposed in 2020, and they were married in 2021.
“We miss him greatly,” Trump lamented on Thursday, “yet 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’m pleased to announce that I will soon be awarding Charlie Kirk posthumously the Presidential Medal of Freedom,” the president stated, guaranteeing “a very big crowd” at the service.
The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian honor the president may bestow upon individuals for outstanding meritorious contributions in the national interest of the U.S., world peace, or other significant accomplishments. The award was established in 1963 by President John F. Kennedy, and has notably been given to Martin Luther King, Jr., Jane Goodall and Bono.
The date of the award service is yet to be announced.
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