October 14 would have been Turning Point USA Founder Charlie Kirk’s 32nd birthday had a deranged LGBTQ leftist not assassinated him last month. To honor Kirk’s historic legacy on his birthday, President Donald Trump granted Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Trump praised the “extraordinary champion,” the “visionary and one of the greatest figures of his generation,” the “martyr” for liberty, Charlie Kirk. Now, Trump said, Kirk “rests in Heaven,” and instead of celebrating his 32nd birthday on earth, he is watching from Paradise as “his name [is] forever” entered “into the eternal roster of true American heroes.” How appropriate for Charlie to receive a medal specifically honoring freedom, since, as Mrs. Erika Kirk reminded the audience, Charlie was wearing a shirt that said “Freedom” when he died, because he “wasn’t content to simply admire freedom, he wanted to multiply it.”
The president flew back from his Middle East press conference so he could hold the Presidential Medal of Freedom ceremony on Charlie’s birthday. Trump praised Kirk as “unstoppable, indomitable, irreplaceable,” vowing to carry on Charlie’s mission. The president condemned the “horrible, heinous, demonic act of murder. He was assassinated in the prime of his life for boldly speaking the truth, for living his faith and relentlessly fighting for a better and stronger America. He loved this country, and that’s why this afternoon, it’s my privilege to posthumously award Charles James Kirk our nation’s highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.”
“Today we’re here to honor & remember a fearless warrior for liberty, a beloved leader who galvanized the next generation like nobody I have ever seen before, & an American patriot of the deepest conviction, the finest quality, and highest caliber, The late, great Charlie Kirk.” pic.twitter.com/ylN6oXenY9
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) October 14, 2025
Trump paid tribute also to Kirk’s widow, Erika, who now leads TPUSA, and marveled at how many thousands of new chapters have already launched for Kirk’s organization since his death. Great men like St. Peter, Abraham Lincoln, and Charlie Kirk, said Trump, “were put on earth to defend.”
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And Charlie leaves behind an ever-growing political and religious movement, grounded in freedom, responsibility, courage, enthusiasm, and Judeo-Christian principles. He was crucial in carrying the 2024 election, and now his legacy, the “heartbeat” of his work, will continue through TPUSA, as Erika said.
Erika stated her husband might have run for president had he lived. That’s probably why he was killed. “For me and for our children, the truth really steadies our grief, because Heaven gained what earth could no longer contain, a free man,” Erika declared. She urged Americans to “embody” the Medal of Freedom and carry on the “mighty work” Kirk began.
She wept as she read out her little daughter’s birthday message for the daddy she’ll never see again, but Erika also told Trump the medal was the greatest birthday present her husband ever received. Erika always told her husband, “I love your birthday… because it’s a day that God knew the world couldn’t go another day without you.”
Donald Trump tears up as Erika Kirk tells her late husband to have a “cupcake with ice cream, and go have a birthday surprise.”
“I know you are celebrating in heaven today, but gosh, we miss you, we love you, and we promise we will make you proud. ” ❤️ pic.twitter.com/dWyUx8qfbM
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) October 14, 2025
Erika recalled the “fire” in Charlie’s soul. “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. The very existence of the Presidential Medal of Freedom reminds us that the national interest of the United States has always been freedom,” she emphasized. “Our Founders etched it into the preamble of our Constitution, and those words are not relics on parchment. They are a living covenant. The blessings of liberty are not man’s invention. They are God’s endowment. Charlie lived for those blessings, not as abstract words, but as sacred promises.”
Kirk’s official citation called him “one of the most influential political leaders of his generation.” Indeed, “For over a decade, he tirelessly traveled the country… to reawaken our national identity and inspire a new spirit of religious devotion. He was one of the great debaters and communicators of his time. Kirk “modeled courage” and became a “martyr for truth and freedom.”
“To live free is the greatest gift. But to die free is the greatest victory.” – Erika Kirk
In her final words at the Medal of Freedom ceremony, @MrsErikaKirk honored her husband’s legacy with grace and strength.
“Happy birthday, my Charlie.
Happy freedom day.” pic.twitter.com/tTiXt6lwkv— LindellTV (@RealLindellTV) October 14, 2025
In closing, I could not do better than share Erika’s message, “To live free is the greatest gift, to die free is the greatest victory. Happy Birthday, my Charlie.”
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