Republican lawmakers, conservative leaders and Trump administration officials plan to attend a memorial service and prayer vigil Sunday evening for slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk at the Kennedy Center.
More than 2,000 attendees are expected at the event to commemorate Mr. Kirk’s legacy and offer prayers.
Key participants expected to offer remarks and prayers include House Speaker Mike Johnson, Louisiana Republican; National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard; Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.; White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt; Kari Lake, senior adviser for the Agency for Global Media; GOP Reps. Andy Biggs of Arizona, Anna Paulina Luna of Florida and Eli Crane of Arizona; and Arizona state Sen. Jake Hoffman, a Republican.
Worship music will be provided by Christian recording artist Sean Feucht. It was not immediately clear whether President Trump or Vice President J.D. Vance planned to attend.
Prayer vigils honoring Mr. Kirk have sprouted up across the country and the world following his assassination Wednesday at a Utah Valley University event.
In a social media post, Turning Point USA official Andrew Kolvet announced the organization has been flooded with requests to launch new campus chapters for high school and college students — more than 32,000 inquiries in 48 hours.
Turning Point USA currently has about 900 college chapters and 1,200 high school chapters.
“Charlie’s vision to have a Club America chapter (our high school brand) in every high school in America (around 23,000) will come true much, much faster than he could have ever possibly imagined,” Mr. Kolvet said.
Mr. Kirk’s widow said Turning Point USA’s campus tour will go forward. It is scheduled to be at Colorado State University in Fort Collins on Sept. 18.
A public memorial service for Mr. Kirk is expected to happen in Arizona on Sunday, Sept. 21, Turning Point USA posted on X. The service will be held at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
Mr. Johnson vowed Sunday to carry Mr. Kirk’s message forward and defend his memory against the individuals who have celebrated his assassination and mischaracterized his legacy.
He said elected leaders must also do their part to “turn the rhetoric down.”
“Our friend Charlie would not want us to be consumed by despair; he would want us to carry his message forward, and that is exactly what is going to happen,” Mr. Johnson said on “Fox News Sunday.”
Mr. Kirk, co-founder of Turning Point USA, was shot to death Wednesday while speaking at an event at Utah Valley University. The killing has led to an uprising of support across the nation and the globe for the 31-year-old conservative activist.
Law enforcement officials arrested Tyler Robinson, 22, of Utah, on charges of murdering Mr. Kirk. Mr. Robinson is expected to be formally charged this week. Law enforcement continues to probe what motivated the shooting suspect.
• Seth McLaughlin contributed to this report.
