By Muhammad Mamman
US President Donald Trump will on Sunday headline a memorial service in Arizona for Charlie Kirk, the influential conservative activist fatally shot during a university event in Utah earlier this month.
Kirk, 31, founder of the right-wing youth movement Turning Point USA, was killed on 10 September after being shot in the neck while hosting his public debate series. Authorities arrested a 22-year-old suspect following a 33-hour manhunt and are seeking the death penalty.
The killing has deepened political divisions in the United States, with Trump calling Kirk “a martyr for truth and freedom” and blaming “radical left rhetoric” for fuelling the attack.
The memorial, to be held at the 63,000-seat State Farm Stadium in Glendale, will feature speeches from Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, alongside conservative commentator Tucker Carlson. Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, who has assumed leadership of Turning Point USA, is also expected to address mourners.
Kirk’s death has ignited fierce debate about free speech, extremism, and political violence in the US. While rights groups have raised concerns about government measures targeting dissent, supporters see the crackdown as overdue.
