President Donald Trump said Monday he plans to attend a memorial for conservative activist Charlie Kirk in Glendale, Arizona, and indicated he may deliver remarks at the event while suggesting the suspected assassin was radicalized by left-wing content on the internet.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump described the background of the accused shooter and said the individual’s turn to extremism appeared to have occurred “over a fairly short period of time.” Trump called the suspect’s parents and neighborhood "wonderful," and said, "It looks like he was radicalized over the internet, and it's radicalized on the left."
Trump confirmed Sunday’s memorial will be held at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, the home of the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals, and said the venue will likely be filled to capacity. The stadium holds about 63,400 people and can be expanded to roughly 73,000 for larger events. Doors will open at 8 a.m. local time and the program is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m., organizers said on the event website; attendance is first come, first served and interested people can register online.
Trump called Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk “an amazing guy” who “didn’t deserve this,” and praised Erika Kirk, saying she was a “tremendous” person. He added that the conservative nonprofit, which focuses on campus organizing, may grow as a result of the response to Kirk’s death, noting the organization received more than 37,000 requests for new campus chapters in the 48 hours after the killing.
When asked whether Representative Ilhan Omar should lose her committee assignments over comments she made about Kirk, Trump called the Minnesota Democrat "a disgraceful person" and said he viewed her as a "loser." Other congressional and political reactions to Kirk’s killing have varied across the partisan spectrum.
Kirk, a prominent conservative commentator and campus activist, was shot and killed earlier this month in an attack that authorities are investigating as an assassination. Law enforcement agencies have been examining the background of the suspect and any online activity that could indicate motives or ties to extremist ideologies.
Trump recalled a recent personal interaction with Kirk, saying the activist had persuaded him to attend a last-minute event and that Kirk was devoted to engaging young people in politics. Turning Point USA has been a visible force in conservative youth organizing, and Kirk’s death prompted tributes from both supporters and critics who acknowledged his role in energizing conservative students.
State Farm Stadium is expected to host thousands for the memorial service on Sunday. Trump said he would likely speak “a few words” at the event but did not provide further details about his remarks or the broader guest list. Law enforcement agencies continue to investigate the shooting and the suspect’s possible motivations, and organizers have established online registration to manage attendance at the memorial.
