Trump hails Charlie Kirk as patriot at Arizona memorial

President Donald Trump hailed slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk as a “martyr for American freedom” on Sunday and vowed at his memorial service to carry on his work, while again accusing what he called the “radical left” for Kirk’s murder.

“The violence comes largely from the left,” Trump said without citing any evidence, in remarks that downplayed political violence from the right and often turned starkly partisan in contrast to the more solemn tone that most other speakers adopted.

Trump has been blaming the left for the deadly shooting before a suspect was even detained. His messaging reflected the dual nature of Kirk’s memorial, which had the feel of a religious revival mixed with a “Make America Great Again” rally.

The memorial, organized by Kirk’s conservative youth advocacy organization Turning Point USA, drew tens of thousands of mourners dressed in red, white and blue who filled State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

Kirk’s friends and fellow conservatives praised him as an inspirational Christian who founded a political movement they promised to nurture.

His wife, Erika, who has taken the helm of Turning Point, delivered an emotional tribute to her late husband, looking up at the heavens and mouthing, “I love you,” before speaking about his devotion to Christianity, his family and his activism. The Kirks have two young children.

“I want all of you to know, while Charlie died far too early, he was also ready to die,” she said. “He left this world without regrets. He did 100% of what he could every day.”

She also offered forgiveness to the 22-year-old man who has been charged with Kirk’s murder, citing the Bible’s account that Jesus Christ urged his followers to forgive his tormentors while on the cross.

“My husband Charlie wanted to save young men, just like the one who took his life,” she said, before adding tearfully, as the crowd applauded solemnly.

Some political figures cast Kirk’s death as a pivotal moment in the conservative movement, exhorting followers to finish the work he began in sometimes aggressive language.

“We will carry Charlie and Erika in our heart every single day, and fight that much harder because of what you did to us,” Stephen Miller, the powerful White House adviser, said in a fiery speech. “You have no idea the dragon you have awakened. You have no idea how determined we will be to save this civilization, to save the West, to save the republic.”