Donald Trump Jr. spoke at the memorial event for Charlie Kirk being held at the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

DONALD TRUMP JR.: Anyone who has seen me on social media knows I’m far more likely to crack a joke or get myself in trouble posting some grossly inappropriate meme than I am to shed a tear. I know this because I even got that call from Charlie a couple of times: Don, you’re getting a little aggressive on social media. Relax. But last week, when I received word that Charlie – who was like a little brother to me – had been assassinated, I was truly devastated. We all were. And we’re here today to celebrate the way he lived his life, and to remember the way he changed so many of ours. I want to start where I know Charlie would want me to: with what was most important to him – his relationship with Christ. To say Charlie knew more about the Bible than me is an understatement, folks. It’s like saying Donald Trump knows more about being president than Hillary Clinton or Kamala Harris. No kidding. When Charlie was asked in an interview how he’d want to be remembered, he said: I want to be remembered for my courage, for my faith. And those were not empty words. Last week Charlie joined a long line of courageous men and women who were martyred for what they believed. According to the Book of Acts, the first martyr in the early Christian church was Stephen, who was stoned to death. As Stephen was being killed, he said: Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God. There are many times in the Bible where Jesus is seated at the right hand of God, but this is the only time he is seen standing. While the Bible isn’t explicit about this, I like to think Jesus was standing to welcome Stephen, the courageous martyr, into heaven. Today that gives me great comfort, because 11 days ago, as a cowardly assassin crawled on his stomach to end Charlie’s life on earth, I’m betting Charlie saw the Son of God standing tall to welcome him home. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the greatest treasures of Charlie’s heart: his beautiful wife, Erika, and his two precious children. To watch Charlie with his family – the joy on his face, the devotion in his eyes – was to see the Gospel lived out. For me, it was inspiring. And now, in the face of unthinkable loss, Erika has shown extraordinary courage, not only as a mother, but in stepping forward to carry on Charlie’s mission as the CEO of Turning Point USA. Charlie always brought out the best in all of us. When Charlie first said to me during the 2016 campaign, Hey, let’s start doing events on college campuses, I thought, Whoa, seriously? We’ve given up on that. Let those kids grow up, and we’ll get them when they start paying taxes. But he convinced me to give it a shot. There were a couple of events that showed just how brave and courageous Charlie was. At Michigan State University, five minutes before we were supposed to go on stage, the state police told us, We can no longer guarantee your safety. The left-wing activists are going crazy. That sounded like a great reason to pack it up and head out. But Charlie said: No way. We’re going out there anyway. At one of the last events of the 2024 campaign at Arizona State, some lunatic called in a threat to try to keep us from going on stage. We went out there anyway – without fear. Charlie led the way. His message was clear then, and his message is clear now: we won’t back down. We won’t be intimidated. The Bible says over 100 times: Do not be afraid. The 100,000 people here today are a signal to the world: our message of faith, family, and country will not be silenced. It always amazed me how Charlie chose to use his platform. He had one of the largest microphones in the entire conservative movement. And what did he do with it? Day after day, week after week, he handed it to the very people who opposed him most. The media tried to smear him as some sort of dangerous radical. But Charlie embodied something at the very core of our movement: when people disagree with us, we don’t silence them, we don’t destroy them, and we certainly don’t sink to violence. We don’t burn down their businesses. We don’t scream at their children at Disneyland. No. We debate. We stand tall. And we win with our ideas. The true extremists are those who would justify and celebrate taking an innocent life over nothing more than disagreement. That is the real radicalism, and we reject it completely. Charlie delighted in his belief that people could be persuaded. He believed the way to win hearts was with truth, with courage, and with conversation. He would always be the first to say: You are welcomed here. And that’s what I want to leave you with today. If we’re truly going to honor Charlie properly, his loss cannot be the end of the story. His legacy must be that when they took his life, a million more Charlies stepped up to fill the void. We are all Charlie. So let’s send a message here today. Will you surrender? Will you back down? Will you give up in fear? Good. If you’re among the millions of people watching today, please see this and know: you are not alone. Charlie’s message, like Christ’s, was an invitation. If this resonates with you, and you believe American values are worth defending – welcome. If you believe in faith, family, and freedom – then you are with us. No matter your past, no matter how you voted, no matter where you come from – this movement is your home. If you’re not already seated at this table, we have a seat prepared for you. If you believe in God and family and country – you are one of us. If you believe our government should put the interests of our citizens first – welcome. If you believe American workers deserve dignity, and American families should be able to afford a good life on one salary – welcome. If you reject the propaganda of the fake news media – welcome. If you want to eradicate the criminal cartels and get drugs out of our communities – welcome. If you believe our best days are ahead, and are willing to stand up to make America great again for your children and generations to come – welcome. Charlie loved this country, its people, and the work of persuading others to believe in something greater than themselves. And if we live with that same courage, our legacy – like Charlie’s – will live forever. Charlie, my brother, we love you, we miss you, and we will not let you down. And as the Scripture promises: Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Lord.

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