Charlie Kirk memorial: Trump addresses event after Erika Kirk says she forgives shooting suspect – latest updates

US president closes speeches; rightwing activist’s widow tells audience of tens of thousands ‘I forgive him’ in comments about Tyler Robinson

Students who debated with Kirk: ‘His goal was to defeat us’

US right claimed free speech was sacred – until the Charlie Kirk killing

Christian nationalists in the US are positioning Charlie Kirk as a martyr for their movement, one that has grown in popularity and whose rise was intertwined with Kirk’s own political ascent.

After Kirk’s killing, his widow, Erika Kirk, wrote on social media that the “world is evil”, but God “so good”. The “sound of this widow weeping [echoes] throughout this world like a battle cry,” she said. “They have no idea what they just ignited within this wife.”

“Last week, we brought my dear friend Charlie Kirk home one last time. Today, we return to Arizona to remember Charlie and honor his sacrifice. May he eternally rest in peace, and may God watch over Erika and their beautiful children.”