WASHINGTON, D.C. – Former President Donald trump awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Charlie Kirk, posthumously, in a Rose Garden ceremony Tuesday. The presentation occurred on what would have been Kirk’s 32nd birthday and was accepted by his wife, Erika Kirk.
Erika Kirk delivered a tribute to her late husband, praising his dedication to freedom and acknowledging Trump‘s recognition. “Thank you, Mr. President, for honoring my husband in such a profound way,” she stated.”Charlie always admired your commitment to freedom.”
She thanked the First Lady, Vice President, family, friends, and Turning Point USA staff and chapters, calling the latter “the heartbeat of this future and of this movement.”
Erika kirk emphasized the foundational importance of freedom in American ideals, stating the Medal of Freedom itself “reminds us that the national interest of the United States has always been freedom.” She recalled her husband’s belief that “liberty was both a right and a obligation” and that “freedom is the ability to do what is right without fear.”
She noted the meaning of her husband’s name, Charles, which she said literally means ”free man.” Erika Kirk also shared that charlie Kirk frequently enough said, “without God, freedom becomes chaos,” and that liberty survives only “when anchored to truth.” He once told an audience,”The freest people in the world are those whose hearts belong to Christ.”
Erika Kirk described her husband’s work building Turning Point USA as not just creating an organization, but “building a movement: one that called people back to God, back to truth, and a movement that was filled with courage.”
