NEED TO KNOW
- Donald Trump gave a eulogy at Charlie Kirk’s public memorial service in Arizona on Sept. 21
- He told the audience that the conservative political organizer’s last request for him was to “save Chicago”
- Kirk was fatally shot while holding a campus debate at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10
Donald Trump’s eulogy for Charlie Kirk touched on some of the conservative activist’s apparent final words to the president.
Trump, 79, spoke at the public memorial service for the political organizer, on Sunday, Sept. 21, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. During his more than 40 minutes on stage, he claimed that Kirk made a plea to him to “save” Chicago in one of their final conversations.
“Please, sir, save Chicago,” Trump recalled Kirk — who was a native of the Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights, Ill. — saying to him.
“We’re gonna do that, we’re gonna save Chicago from horrible crime,” said Trump, who has threatened to send National Guard troops into the city as part of a federal crackdown on crime, as he has done in Washington, D.C.
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Later into his speech, Trump said, “I’m so proud of Washington, D.C., and now we’re going into Memphis, and we’ll get that one straightened out fast. And then we’re going into some others, but we’re going to go do Chicago, and we’re going to have Charlie very much in mind when we go into Chicago, and we’ll get that one straight.”
The president’s wide-ranging funeral speech also touted that his administration is planning to present an “answer” for autism during an announcement on Monday, Sept. 22.
“I think we found an answer to autism,” he told the memorial service crowd, saying his administration “won’t let it happen anymore.”
The president claimed it would be “one of the biggest announcements, medically, in the history of our country.”
According to The Washington Post, Trump’s administration will tie autism to Tylenol use during pregnancy, although more than a decade of research has not shown any link.
During his eulogy, Trump also praised Kirk, calling him “a giant of his generation.”
“I know I speak for everyone here today when I say that none of us will ever forget Charlie,” he said.
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Kirk, 31, was fatally shot while holding one of his signature campus debates at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10. Tyler Robinson has been accused of the killing and was formally charged with single counts of aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm and violent offense in the presence of a child, along with two counts each of obstruction of justice and witness tampering.
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Trump announced Kirk’s death on Truth Social, writing, “The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead. No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie. He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us.”
Kirk had been a prominent voice among conservative youth. He was the founder and CEO of Turning Point USA, published several politics-related books and hosted his own podcast, The Charlie Kirk Show.
The father of two became a close ally of Trump over the years, even giving a speech at the politician’s inauguration in January.
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During a press conference on Sept. 18, as he concluded his official state visit to the United Kingdom, Trump spoke about Kirk and how he encouraged the young Republican to explore a career in politics.
“I told him, ‘Charlie, you have a good shot someday at being president,’ ” Trump said.
Kirk’s wife, Erika Kirk, broke her silence on his murder on Sept. 12. In a statement, she nodded to her late husband’s political aspirations, saying, “He told me, if he ever did run for office, that his top priority would be to revive the American family.”
That same day, Trump fielded a question about the current political atmosphere in the wake of Kirk’s death while appearing on Fox & Friends. “I couldn’t care less,” he responded when asked by co-host Ainsley Earhardt how to “fix this country” and “come back together.”