U.S. President Donald Trump has posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, drawing comparisons between him and historical figures such as Socrates, Saint Peter, Abraham Lincoln, and Martin Luther King Jr.
Erika Kirk, wife of slain conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, reacts during a ceremony held by U.S. President Donald Trump to posthumously award the Medal of Freedom to Charlie Kirk, at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., October 14, 2025. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
“Charlie Kirk was a witness to truth and freedom,” Trump said during the ceremony at the White House Rose Garden. “From Socrates and Saint Peter to Lincoln and King, those who changed history most were always willing to risk their lives for the values they came to defend.”
President Donald J. Trump posthumously awards Charlie Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
A true American patriot. 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/HYvinbxO4e
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) October 14, 2025
The event coincided with what would have been Kirk’s 32nd birthday. His widow, Erika Kirk, received the medal on his behalf. “I can say with certainty, Mr. President, that you gave him the best birthday gift he could ever have received,” she said.
Kirk, the 31-year-old founder of the conservative organization Turning Point USA, was fatally shot in the neck on September 10 while speaking with students at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah.
Argentina’s President Javier Milei poses for a selfie with an attendee at a ceremony held by U.S. President Donald Trump to posthumously award the Medal of Freedom to slain conservative commentator Charlie Kirk in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., October 14, 2025. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
The ceremony gathered prominent conservative figures, including Sean Hannity, Tucker Carlson, and Argentine President Javier Milei, along with members of Trump’s cabinet, members of Congress, and friends of Kirk.
Trump remarked on the weather, saying: “It was supposed to be a terrible, rainy day. But God was watching, and He didn’t want that for Charlie. It couldn’t have been more beautiful.”
Last month, the U.S. House and Senate passed a resolution designating October 14 as National Charlie Kirk Remembrance Day.
Since the Presidential Medal of Freedom was first awarded in 1963, about 75 people have received it posthumously. Earlier this year, President Joe Biden honored several Americans, including George Romney, Robert F. Kennedy, Ashton Carter, and civil-rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer.
