The air around State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, buzzed with energy and emotion on Sunday, September 21, 2025, as an estimated 200,000 people gathered to honor the life and legacy of Charlie Kirk, the conservative activist and founder of Turning Point USA. The event, titled "Building a Legacy, Remembering Charlie Kirk," drew a crowd so large that the stadium—home to the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals and with a maximum capacity of 73,000—was filled within hours of doors opening at 8 a.m. local time. Overflow attendees were directed to the adjacent Desert Diamond Arena, which holds an additional 20,000, but even that proved insufficient as pilgrims from across the country flocked to pay their respects.
According to ABC News and Fox Local, the service was scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. local time (2 p.m. ET), with live coverage provided on ABC News Live and LiveNOW from FOX. Attendees were asked to dress in red, white, or blue, a nod to Kirk’s patriotic ethos and the values he championed throughout his career. The Department of Homeland Security designated the memorial a Special Event Assessment Rating (SEAR) Level 1—the highest national significance—a testament to both the prominence of the late activist and the magnitude of the gathering.
Kirk, just 31, was killed on September 10 while speaking at Utah Valley University during his "The American Comeback Tour." Authorities identified 22-year-old Tyler Robinson as the suspect two days later. Robinson has since been charged with multiple counts, including aggravated murder, and prosecutors have stated their intent to seek the death penalty. Kirk is survived by his wife, Erika, and their two young children. In a poignant turn, Erika Kirk has been elected to succeed her husband as CEO of Turning Point USA, and she took the stage Sunday to address the crowd.
The lineup of speakers was a veritable who’s who of conservative politics and media. President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, Secretary Marco Rubio, Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Secretary Pete Hegseth, Director Tulsi Gabbard, Donald Trump Jr., Tucker Carlson, Stephen Miller, and Sergio Gor all delivered remarks. Worship was led by prominent Christian artists Chris Tomlin, Brandon Lake, Phil Wickham, Kari Jobe Carnes, and Cody Carnes, lending the event the atmosphere of a religious revival.
President Trump, who had previously announced he would posthumously award Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom, addressed the packed stadium with words of praise and loss. "Charlie Kirk loved America with everything he had. And as we can see so clearly today, America loved Charlie Kirk," Trump said, according to Reuters. Calling Kirk "a Great American hero" and "a martyr now for America," the president emphasized the lasting resonance of Kirk’s message. "On that terrible day, September 10, 2025, our greatest evangelist for American liberty became immortal. I know I speak for everyone here today when I say that none of us will ever forget Charlie Kirk, and neither now will history."
Vice President JD Vance, taking the stage earlier in the ceremony, described Kirk as a friend and a steadfast advocate for his beliefs. "He was murdered for speaking the truth," Vance told the crowd, adding, "It is better to face a gunman than live your life afraid to face the truth." His words stirred both grief and resolve among those gathered, many of whom saw Kirk as a symbol of courage in the face of adversity.
But perhaps the most moving moment came from Erika Kirk, who stunned the stadium with a message of forgiveness for her husband’s accused killer. "That young man. That young man. On the cross our savior said, ‘Father forgive them for they know not what they do’—that man, that young man, I forgive him," she declared, prompting a standing ovation and tears throughout the audience. "I forgive him because it was what Christ did. And what Charlie would do. The answer to hate is not hate. The answer we know from the gospel is love and always love. Love for our enemies and love for those who persecute us."
According to The New York Post, the atmosphere outside the stadium was no less intense. People began lining up as early as 4 a.m., some walking up to two miles from their vehicles to secure a spot in the sweltering 90-degree Arizona heat. A handful of attendees required medical attention before the service began. Greg Waters, a 71-year-old from Bishop, California, told The Post, "He’s like a son to me. We are connected through the blood of Jesus Christ. The problem the world has is it doesn’t understand the spiritual connection. I think the more people who turned out shows that he had more impact than people believed. They need to have a bigger stadium."
The crowd was a sea of red, white, and blue, with many donning "I am Charlie Kirk" and "Freedom" t-shirts—some identical to the one Kirk wore at the time of his death. Among those in attendance were elected officials such as Rep. Lauren Boebert, Rep. Andy Briggs, and Sen. Rick Scott, as well as Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Elon Musk (former head of the Department of Government Efficiency), conservative podcaster Matt Walsh, and FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino. GOP Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, 36, credited Kirk with launching her career, telling the audience, "There would be no congresswoman Luna without Charlie Kirk. We are all Charlie Kirk now, and his legacy has just begun."
Not everyone present came to honor the late activist. Protesters, including members of the Westboro Baptist Church and others holding anti-Kirk signs, occupied designated free speech zones outside the stadium. Some bore deeply offensive messages, underscoring the polarizing nature of Kirk’s public life. One woman, declining to give her name, told reporters, "Because I hate Charlie and I’m standing up for what I believe in … I like when bad things happen to bad people."
Inside, however, the focus remained on Kirk’s impact and the future of his movement. Right-wing commentator Benny Johnson asked the crowd if any had been moved "closer to Christ" by Kirk, calling him "a martyr in the true Christian tradition." The service’s worship segments, led by well-known Christian musicians, reinforced the spiritual undertones of the gathering.
The event’s scale and solemnity reflected not only the depth of feeling among Kirk’s supporters but also the broader currents shaping American political and religious life. As attendees filed out under the Arizona sun, many expressed a sense that Kirk’s death had transformed him from a controversial figure into a symbol—one whose legacy, for better or worse, will continue to shape the national conversation for years to come.
