President Donald Trump told tens of thousands gathered at Turning Point USA’s memorial service in Glendale, Arizona, that one of Charlie Kirk’s final appeals to him was to “save Chicago.”
The memorial, held Sunday, drew both in-person attendees and millions watching online, as reported [1] by The Center Square.
Kirk, 31, was fatally shot on September 10 during an event at Utah Valley University. The conservative activist, born in Arlington Heights, Illinois, attended Wheeling High School before launching Turning Point USA out of a garage in Lemont.
During his remarks, Trump highlighted Kirk’s Chicago roots and said the activist was deeply concerned about crime in the city. “He was an All-American in everything he did, and one of the last things he said to me was, ‘Please sir, save Chicago,’” Trump told the crowd.
“We’re going to do that. We’re going to save Chicago from horrible crime.”
HOLY SH*T 🚨 President Trump revealed that one of the last things Charlie Kirk told him was:
“Please Sir, save Chicago”
AMEN 🙏 pic.twitter.com/QsPWjQCgaq [2]
— MAGA Voice (@MAGAVoice) September 21, 2025 [3]
The president also described Kirk as a martyr for freedom, saying his influence would endure.
“Because while Charlie has been reunited with his creator in heaven, his voice on Earth will echo through the generations, and his name will live forever in the eternal chronicle of American’s greatest patriots,” Trump said.
Ahead of the president’s appearance, Erika Kirk, the widow of Charlie Kirk, delivered a tribute to her late husband. She said his mission had been to reach young people, including those who might be lost or troubled.
“He wanted to save young men just like the one who took his life,” she said.
Her comments drew a strong response from the audience when she addressed forgiveness. Referring to the words of Jesus of Nazareth, Erika Kirk said she had chosen to forgive her husband’s killer.
“On the cross, our savior said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they not know what they do.’ That man, that young man, I forgive him,” she said as the crowd rose to its feet.
“I forgive him because it is what Christ did and is what Charlie would do. The answer to hate is not hate. The answer we know from the gospel is love and always love,” she added.
In her closing remarks, Erika Kirk said that in the weeks following her husband’s death, the nation has not witnessed further violence but instead signs of revival.