Conservative activist Charlie Kirk was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Tuesday.
The day he received his presidential honor would have been his 32nd birthday.
Kirk was assassinated during a campus event at Utah Valley University in September.
“Today, we’re here to honor and remember a fearless warrior for liberty, a beloved leader who galvanized the next generation like nobody have ever seen before, and an American patriot of the deepest conviction, the finest quality and the highest caliber, the late, great Charlie Kirk,” Trump said.
Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, made a name for himself traveling to universities across the country to engage in public debate.
A proud Christian, American and conservative, Kirk spoke to young people in more ways than one.
Yes, he would eagerly debate on matters like abortion, the utility of a college education and the merits of Trump’s immigration enforcement. He righteously defended capitalism against socialism and urged people to read more Thomas Sowell. And of course he defended the idea that there are men and there are women in a time when that notion became controversial.
He also encouraged young people to live a life of faith, to marry, to raise families. For many young people, he was a voice they needed to hear, even if they didn’t ultimately take him up on his traditional, conservative views.
Agree with him or not, Kirk was doing what more Americans should be doing, which is speaking with people across the political aisle.
“Today we’re gathered not only to celebrate Charlie’s birthday, but to honor a truth that he gave his entire life to defend. And that’s freedom,” his widow Erika Kirk said.
Erika Kirk has succeeded her late husband as the leader of Turning Point USA, so his legacy will certainly live on in that sense.
While many on the left have unfortunately taken to reponding to his murder by trying to find every objectionable thing he ever said, the important takeaway from his life and work is that civil debate is vital in a healthy democratic society.
We leave you with a quote from Charlie Kirk: “Protecting individual liberty from the tyrannical forces of government is the idea our nation was built upon. It is the only way to protect the individual’s rights, the family, local churches and schools, and other groups who can’t fight back themselves. Be skeptical of everything, especially your government. Ask questions, fight for your rights, and never surrender.”