❓WHAT HAPPENED: President Donald J. Trump awarded Charlie Kirk a posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom while also signing a Proclamation that October 14 shall be known as a “National Day of Remembrance for Charlie Kirk”—the date marking Kirk’s birthday.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: President Donald Trump, Charlie Kirk, Erika Kirk, and dignitaries gathered in the White House Rose Garden.
📍WHEN & WHERE: October 14, 2025, in Washington, D.C.
💬KEY QUOTE: “Only hours ago, I returned from a trip to secure peace in the Middle East… I raced back halfway around the globe—I was gonna call, say to Erika, ‘Can you move it to Friday?’ And I didn’t have the courage to call… because today was Charlie’s birthday. I would not have missed this moment for anything in the world. Nothing.” — President Trump
🎯IMPACT: The Medal and Proclamation honor Kirk for his work and legacy on behalf of American freedoms, including free and open debate.
President Donald J. Trump awarded Charlie Kirk a posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom while also signing a Proclamation that October 14 shall be known as a “National Day of Remembrance for Charlie Kirk”—the date marking Kirk’s birthday. On September 10 this year, Kirk was assassinated, allegedly by leftist radical Tyler Robinson, while holding a Turning Point USA (TPUSA) debate event on the campus of Utah Valley University.
“On the afternoon of Wednesday, September 10, 2025, pure evil struck when the legendary Charlie Kirk was assassinated in broad daylight in a campus courtyard, triggering a groundswell of righteous fury all across our land,” the Presidential Proclamation states. “Today, our Nation honors the immortal memory of Charlie—a father, a husband, a Christian martyr, and a titan of the American conservative movement. We honor his life, we send our condolences to his beautiful family, and we pledge to advance the values for which he laid down his life.”
“As we mourn this extraordinary loss, my Administration will continue to do everything in its power to end this devastating wave of political violence. No civilized country can endure a culture where open debate is met with gunfire, the pursuit of truth is met with bloodshed, and love of country is met with seething hatred,” the Proclamation adds.
A large crowd gathered in the White House Rose Garden on Tuesday evening for the medal ceremony, with Trump speaking alongside Kirk’s widow, Erika. President Trump reflected on Kirk’s life, achievements, and friendship while lamenting the surge in left-wing political violence across the country.
.@POTUS presents the Presidential Medal of Freedom, awarded posthumously to the late Charlie Kirk, to his wife, Mrs. Erik Kirk 🙏 pic.twitter.com/SWlNAMutbA
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) October 14, 2025
“Only hours ago, I returned from a trip to secure peace in the Middle East… I raced back halfway around the globe—I was gonna call, say to Erika, ‘Can you move it to Friday?’ And I didn’t have the courage to call… because today was Charlie’s birthday,” Trump recalled, adding: “I would not have missed this moment for anything in the world. Nothing.”
“Charlie Kirk was one of a kind… he was indomitable… and we will hold him in our hearts forever,” Trump said.
🚨 JUST IN: President Trump reveals he RACED BACK from the Middle East at 3AM this morning because he knew he needed to award Charlie Kirk the Medal of Freedom on Charlie’s birthday ❤️
“Only hours ago, I returned from a trip to secure peace in the Middle East…I raced back… pic.twitter.com/uiKivw62ua
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) October 14, 2025
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