--- title: Charlie Kirk’s Memorial Was Also a Political Rally description: Donald Trump, Stephen Miller, and J.D. Vance all spoke at Kirk's memorial. His death was described as a moment of conservative "revival" canonical: https://time.com/7319365/charlie-kirk-memorial-stephen-miller-trump-speech/ author: Rebecca Schneid article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2025-09-22T18:03:28.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T04:51:25.616Z article:section: Politics og:title: Charlie Kirk’s Funeral Was Also a Political Rally og:description: Donald Trump and Stephen Miller spoke at Kirk's memorial, citing his death as a moment of conservative "revival" og:url: https://time.com/7319365/charlie-kirk-memorial-stephen-miller-trump-speech/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0af352cbf0b179f1/6998c9e783ec375a68c7af13/GettyImages-2236646107.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: Memorial Service Held For Slain Conservative Activist Charlie Kirk At State Farm Stadium og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Charlie Kirk’s Funeral Was Also a Political Rally twitter:description: Donald Trump and Stephen Miller spoke at Kirk's memorial, citing his death as a moment of conservative "revival" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0af352cbf0b179f1/6998c9e783ec375a68c7af13/GettyImages-2236646107.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Charlie Kirk’s Funeral Was Also a Political Rally. 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Brief is TIME's Washington newsletter, written by senior correspondent Philip Elliott. It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. It reaches 85,000 subscribers with a 37.0% open rate as of August 2026. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters.  by [Rebecca Schneid](https://time.com/author/rebecca-schneid/)  ## Rebecca Schneid Reporter Sep 22, 2025 6:03 PM UTC  U.S. President Donald Trump arrives on stage amidst fireworks during the memorial service for conservative political activist Charlie Kirk at State Farm Stadium on September 21, 2025 in Glendale, Arizona. Kirk, the CEO and co-founder of Turning Point USA, was shot and killed on September 10th while speaking at an event during his "American Comeback Tour" at Utah Valley University. U.S. President Donald Trump arrives on stage amidst fireworks during the memorial service for conservative political activist Charlie Kirk at State Farm Stadium on September 21, 2025 in Glendale, Arizona. Kirk, the CEO and co-founder of Turning Point USA, was shot and killed on September 10th while speaking at an event during his "American Comeback Tour" at Utah Valley University. Win McNamee—2025 Getty Images  by [Rebecca Schneid](https://time.com/author/rebecca-schneid/)  ## Rebecca Schneid Reporter Sep 22, 2025 6:03 PM UTC Leading figures from the Trump Administration and his MAGA movement [joined tens of thousands](https://time.com/7319196/charlie-kirk-funeral-trump-watch/) to pay tribute to right-wing activist Charlie Kirk at his funeral on Sunday. Kirk, a 31-year-old father of two, was [killed](https://time.com/7316095/charlie-kirk-uvu-shooting-turning-point-usa/) at a Utah university speaking event on Sept. 10\. The funeral service featured heartfelt eulogies, but also at times resembled a political rally. The memorial featured speeches from figures from across the right, including [President Donald Trump](https://time.com/7319196/charlie-kirk-funeral-trump-watch/), Vice President J.D. Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, and former Fox News host Tucker Carlson. **Read More:** [_The Killing of Charlie Kirk and the Political Violence Haunting America_](https://time.com/7316280/charlie-kirk-dead-political-violence/) Also present were Trump’s former head of the Department of Government Efficiency and billionaire tech executive Elon Musk, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, as well as Trump's son Donald Trump Jr. Kirk, the founder of the youth conservative movement Turning Point USA, led a deeply political life, so many of the tributes to his life were also political. In the aftermath of his killing, many on the right, including the President, have responded by [promising a crackdown on the left](https://time.com/7316315/republicans-far-right-reacts-charlie-kirk-death-blame-left-crackdown/), igniting debates on [political violence](https://time.com/7316280/charlie-kirk-dead-political-violence/) and [free speech](https://time.com/7316628/charlie-kirk-death-celebrations-social-media-consequences-fired-immigrants-deport/). Here's what we learned during the memorial. ## **Stephen Miller’s fiery speech**  White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller speaks during the memorial service for political activist Charlie Kirk at State Farm Stadium on September 21, 2025 in Glendale, Arizona. Joe Raedle—2025 Getty Images White House aide Stephen Miller, an architect for many of Trump’s most controversial policies, gave a fiery speech at Kirk’s funeral in which he addressed his “enemies,” warning his political opponents that Kirk’s legacy had been “immortalized” and that they would not be able to comprehend “our strength” as a movement. These enemies, he argued, are “trying to foment hatred against us.” “You have no idea how determined we will be to save this civilization, to save the West, to save this republic, because our children are strong, and our grandchildren will be strong, and our children’s children’s children will be strong,” Miller said. “And what will you leave behind? Nothing. Nothing to our enemies. You have nothing to give. You have nothing to offer. You have nothing to share but bitterness.” Although the suspect in the shooting, Tyler Robinson, is believed to have worked alone and has since been charged with capital murder, Miller’s language seemed to conflate Robinson with the wider political left in the United States. It is still unclear what Robinson’s motive was, and no links have been found between the 22-year-old and left-wing extremist groups. **Read More:** [_Tyler Robinson, Suspect in Charlie Kirk Killing, Left Messages With No Motive_](https://time.com/7317032/tyler-robinson-motive-charlie-kirk/) Still, Miller’s speech consisted of a clear us-versus-them mentality, with the right on the side of “humanity.” “We are the ones who create. We are the ones who lift up humanity.” ## **Trump's anger** Trump remembered Kirk, whom he counted as a friend and said contributed heavily to his 2024 re-election win, as a “martyr” during his speech in Arizona. Centering on political division, Trump said that he differed greatly from Kirk in how he treats his political enemies. “\[Kirk\] did not hate his opponents; he wanted the best for them. That’s where I disagree with Charlie. I hate my opponent,” Trump said. “And I don’t want the best for them. I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Erika. But now maybe Erika can talk to me and the whole group, and maybe they can convince me that that’s not right. But I can’t stand my opponent.” Erika Kirk, Charlie Kirk’s wife, spoke directly before Trump and struck a different tone than the President, stating that she forgives Robinson, and centering her and her husband’s faith and religion. Trump, though, focused on the politics of the moment. ## **Figures from the right brought together**  US President Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk shake hands during the public memorial service for right-wing activist Charlie Kirk at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, on September 21, 2025. CHARLY TRIBALLEAU—AFP or licensors Kirk’s memorial in the football stadium near Phoenix brought together not only tens of thousands of mourners, but also several prominent Republicans who had had public disagreements in the first year of Trump’s second term. Musk and Trump sat next to each other during part of the ceremony, shaking hands and speaking to each other. This comes after the President and tech billionaire had [a bitter falling out earlier this year ](https://time.com/7213409/elon-musk-us-government-trump/)over Trump’s [“big, beautiful bill”](https://time.com/7300177/trump-signs-big-beautiful-bill/) and questions over his [Administration’s](https://time.com/7317646/kash-patel-jeffrey-epstein-files/) handling of the [Epstein files](https://time.com/7291744/epstein-files-elon-musk-donald-trump-allegation/). After the memorial ended, Musk posted a picture of himself and Trump together with the caption "For Charlie” [to his X account](https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1969897602524328440). Soon after, the official[ White House X account](https://x.com/WhiteHouse/status/1969929930944422333) posted something similar. Earlier, the executive producer of Kirk’s podcast, Andrew Kolvet_,_ also posted a picture of the two leaders[ together on X](https://x.com/AndrewKolvet/status/1969870812334510360). “Charlie so badly wanted these two men to come back together. I hope they’re saying to each other,” he wrote. Trump and Musk were not the only political rivals who shared time at the memorial. Also speaking was former Fox News host and current right-wing podcast host Carlson, who has been[ critical of the Trump Administration](https://time.com/7295566/trump-tucker-carlson-feud-israel-iran-conflict/), especially during Trump’s handling of the Israel-Iran conflict earlier this year, and the President’s bombing of several nuclear facilities in Iran. “Who are the warmongers?” Carlson asked on his podcast in June. “They would include anyone who’s calling Donald Trump today to demand air strikes and other direct U.S. military involvement in a war with Iran.” Though Trump later said that Carlson had called to apologize, the conservative host also went viral for his row with [Ted Cruz over the topic](https://x.com/TuckerCarlson/status/1935136085266387417), after he grilled the Texas Senator over his knowledge of Iran and the region. Cruz was present at Kirk’s memorial as well. ## A conservative 'revival' Many of the speakers describe the funeral as a “revival” for both conservative and religious values. “The evil murderer who took Charlie from us expected us to have a funeral today, and instead, my friends, we have had a revival in celebration of Charlie Kirk,” JD Vance said. Trump likened the event to “an old-time revival.” Defense Secretary Hegseth said, “Charlie started a political movement but unleashed a spiritual revival.” The general message was that Kirk's work was not over, and that the conservative movement as a whole was at an inflection point. Kirk's wife, Erika Kirk, said that in the aftermath of her husband's death, people turned to faith. "We saw what my husband always prayed he would see in this country: We saw revival. We saw people open a Bible for the first time in a decade," she said, urging people to continue praying. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/7319365/charlie-kirk-memorial-stephen-miller-trump-speech/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/7319365/charlie-kirk-memorial-stephen-miller-trump-speech/"},"headline":"Charlie Kirk’s Funeral Was Also a Political Rally. Here’s What We Learned","datePublished":"2025-09-22T18:03:28.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:51:25.616Z","description":"Donald Trump, Stephen Miller, and J.D. 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