President Trump posthumously awards the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Charlie Kirk
WASHINGTON (NBC, KYMA) - President Donald Trump posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to the late Charlie Kirk Tuesday during a Rose Garden ceremony.
Cabinet members and Republican congressional leaders were among the attendees at the somber ceremony just five weeks after Kirk was shot and killed during a speaking event in Utah.
President Trump honored Kirk on what would have been his 32nd birthday as a martyr for truth and freedom, and presented the medal to Kirk's tearful widow, Erika.
"He was assassinated in the prime of his life for boldly speaking the truth, for living his faith and relentlessly fighting for a better and stronger America. He loved this country, and that's why this afternoon, it's my privilege to posthumously award Charles James Kirk our nation's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom."
President Donald Trump
In an emotional tribute, Erika Kirk called it the best birthday gift he could have ever asked for, and spoke about her husband's commitment to freedom.
"There was no limit, no limit to what he would have sacrificed to defend freedom for all. And if the moment had come, he probably would have run for president, but not out of ambition. He would only have done it if that was something that he believed that his country needed from a servant's heart standpoint."
Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk
The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian honor. Past posthumous recipients include the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., Jackie Robinson, Cesar Chavez, Elvis Presley and John McCain.
To watch the livestream of the ceremony, see attached video.
