LONDON — President Donald Trump, speaking at Chequers with Prime Minister Keir Starmer, disclosed that he once told Charlie Kirk he could someday be president. "I told him, you have a good shot someday at being president," Trump said, adding that Kirk was "a great American" who was "heinously assassinated for speaking his mind" last week at Utah Valley University. "Incredible future—gone."
Trump thanked British supporters who gathered in London to mourn Kirk's death, calling his murdered friend "a great young mind" whose voice had been silenced by violence. He noted that supporters and protesters had descended on the city in recent days ahead of Trump's visit, including rallies for free speech while others carried messages mourning Kirk. The protests came as more than 100,000 demonstrators descended in London on Saturday to protest Prime Minister Starmer ahead of Trump's state visit.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer offered condolences, saying he knew Kirk was a friend of the president and that he reached out to Trump straight away. "I know he was a friend of the president, and I reached out straight away to the president," he said.
Trump said he plans to attend Kirk's funeral on Sunday at the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, in the Phoenix area that holds over 63,000 people. "He just wanted to take care of youth. He loved youth," the president said, adding, "I've never seen anybody relate to youth like Charlie. And they liked Charlie. And they related to him. And they're devastated."
The president also recalled that he often told Kirk he could be president someday. "I told him, you have a good shot someday at being president," he said, underscoring the personal link between the two men.
He framed the episode within a broader defense of Western values, including freedom of speech. "I hope that together, our nations can lead a movement to defend the glorious traditions of freedom on both sides of the Atlantic," Trump said.
Trump also recounted that Kirk had encouraged him to join TikTok to reach younger audiences, especially as questions swirled around the platform's China-linked algorithm. "I like TikTok, it helped get me elected," he said. "Charlie said, 'Sir, you ought to get on TikTok. You'd be great.'" He added that he planned to raise the issue with President Xi and noted that the platform had "tremendous value" and that banning it would make a lot of youth unhappy.
In London, the state visit was marked by public interest and counter-protests alike. A west London pub was temporarily rebranded to "The Trump Arms" to reflect the moment, underscoring the unusual blend of political ceremony and street sentiment surrounding the visit.