President Donald Trump on Tuesday posthumously awarded conservative activist Charlie Kirk the nation’s highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, on what would have been his 32nd birthday.
The ceremony took place in the newly renovated Rose Garden of the White House.
The award was accepted by Erika Kirk, who delivered tearful remarks about her husband’s life and legacy. In a particularly emotional moment, he said he had asked his 3-year-old daughter what she would like to say to her father for his birthday.
“‘Happy birthday dad,'” he said the girl’s message read. “I want to give you a stuffed animal. I want you to eat a cupcake with ice cream. And I want you to have a birthday surprise. I love you,” was what he said.
President Donald Trump and Erika Kirk, Charlie Kirk’s widow, participate in a Medal of Freedom ceremony for Charlie Kirk in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, October 14, 2025.
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“Today we are here to honor and remember a fearless warrior for freedom, a beloved leader who galvanized the next generation like no one had seen before, and an American patriot of the deepest conviction, finest quality and highest caliber, the late great Charlie Kirk,” Trump said.
“Five weeks ago, our nation was robbed of this extraordinary champion,” Trump said.
President Donald Trump speaks before posthumously awarding the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Charlie Kirk in the Rose Garden of the White House, Oct. 14, 2025, in Washington.
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Kirk was shot and killed on September 10 while speaking at Utah Valley University on the first stop of his The American Comeback Tour, which invited college students to debate hot-button issues.
Trump was the first to announce that same day that Kirk had died, and the next day he said he would award Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom while hailing the Turning Point USA founder as “a giant of his generation.”
Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk stands in the back of the room as Donald Trump speaks during an swearing-in ceremony in the Oval Office of the White House on May 28, 2025 in Washington, DC.
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The House and Senate previously passed a resolution to mark Kirk’s birthday, Oct. 14, as a “National Day of Remembrance.”
The medal ceremony came after Trump rushed back to Washington in the early hours of Tuesday morning after a trip to the Middle East to celebrate a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas that he helped negotiate.
Trump said Tuesday that he was considering calling Erika Kirk to move the event to later this week, but said he decided against it after realizing it was Kirk’s birthday.
Erika Kirk, wife of the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk, arrives with President Donald Trump as he posthumously awards the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Charlie Kirk in the Rose Garden of the White House, October 14, 2025 in Washington.
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Vice President JD Vance sits with his wife Usha Vance before the Presidential Medal of Freedom ceremony in the Rose Garden of the White House on October 14, 2025 in Washington.
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The president and Erika Kirk previously shared an emotional moment on stage at Kirk’s memorial service in Arizona, hugging after Trump’s final remarks and after Erika Kirk said she had forgiven her husband’s killer.
On Tuesday, Trump praised Erika Kirk’s “incredible strength” and recounted a story he said Charlie Kirk told him when they met.
“We will always be here for you. And we will always be here for your beautiful, beautiful children,” Trump said. Kirk is survived by his wife and two young children.
“We will never forget what your family has sacrificed for our country,” Trump said.
Kirk was influential in building the Trump movement and was particularly popular among young conservatives. He was a key ally of Trump and a friend to many within his administration. But some of his comments on gun violence, LGBTQ issues, race and more often drew criticism from liberals and others.
“We are forever entering his name into the eternal list of true American heroes. He is a true American hero, an incredible person,” Trump said.
