Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Donald Trump Jr. deliver remarks at Charlie Kirk memorial

Please welcome to the stage Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Charlie's overarching passion was his Christianity and his devotion to his God. He believed what Saint Francis taught us almost a thousand years ago, that we should strive to live our lives in perfect perfect imitation of Christ. We should turn every day and every moment and every interaction into a prayer. Charlie understood the great paradox that it's only by surrender to God that God's power can flow into our lives and make us effective human beings. Christ died at 33 years old, but he changed the trajectory of history. Charlie died at 31 years old, but because he had surrendered, he also now has changed the trajectory of history. Charlie's other passion was free speech. He understood that the free flow of information was the soil, the water, the sunlight for democracy. He understood democracy's great advantage was that our policies were formed by ideas that had triumphed in a marketplace of debate and conversation. He thought that conversation was the only way to heal our country. This was particularly important during a technological age when we are all hooked into social algorithms that are hacked into the reptilian cores of our brain and amplify our impulses for tribalism and for division. He felt that the only way to overcome that biological impulse was with a spiritual fire and with developing community, and the only way to develop community was through conversation. And so he always gave the biggest microphone to the people who were most passionately aligned against him because he believed that we need to talk to each other and that we needed to be able to say what we mean without saying it mean. A few years ago, my brother David died, and I asked my mother, does the hole that they leave in you, when they die, does it ever get any smaller? And she said to me, it never gets any smaller. But our job is to grow ourselves bigger around the hole. And we do that by taking the best qualities, the best, most admirable character traits of the person that died and integrate them with restraint, with discipline, with practice into our own character. And in doing that, we make ourselves larger and the hole gets proportionally smaller. We also give a kind of immortality to the person who left us because their work continues through us. A couple of days ago, my niece or my granddaughter left for college in Europe. Her mother noticed that she packed a Bible. And her mother asked her why she made that choice. She said, I want to live more like Charlie. And one of my first conversations with Charlie in July of 2021, we were talking about the risks that all of us take when we challenge entrenched interest, the physical risk. And he asked me if I was scared of dying. And I said to him, there's a lot worse things than death. And one of those things is if we lost our constitutional rights in this country and that our children were raised as slaves. And I said to Charlie, I said, sometimes the best consolation we can hope for is that we get to die with our boots on. Well, Charlie died with his boots on and he died to make sure that we didn't have to undergo those fates that are worse than death. Oh, let's remember Charlie. He was, for those of us who were friends with Charlie, we don't need any more evidence of the love of God, because the evidence, the friendship is the best evidence that God loves us Welcome everyone. I'm not widely known for being a sentimental guy. Anyone who's seen me on social media knows I'm far more likely to crack a joke or get myself in trouble for posting some grossly inappropriate memes than I am to shed a tear. I know this because I've even gotten the call from that guy a couple times. You know, Don, Don, you're getting a little aggressive on social media, Don, relax. But last week when I received word that Charlie, who was like a little brother to me, had been assassinated, I was truly devastated. We all were. And we're here today to celebrate the way he lived his life and to remember the way he changed so many of ours. So I want to start where I know Charlie would want me to, with what was most important to him, and that was his relationship with Christ. To say Charlie knew more about the Bible than me is an understatement, folks. It's like saying Donald Trump knows more about being president than Hillary Clinton or Kamala Harris. No kidding. But when Charlie was asked in an interview how he'd want to be remembered, he said, I want to be remembered for my courage, for my faith. And let me tell you guys, those were not empty words. Last week, Charlie joined a long line of courageous men and women who were martyred for what they believe. According to the book of Acts, the first martyr in the early Christian church was Stephen, who was stoned to death. And as Stephen was being killed, he said, behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing, standing at the right hand of God. Now, there are many times in the Bible where Jesus is seated at the right hand of God, but this is the only time he's seen standing. And while the Bible isn't explicit about this, I like to think Jesus was standing to welcome Stephen, the courageous martyr, into heaven. And today, today that gives me great comfort because 11 days ago, as a cowardly assassin crawled on his stomach to end Charlie's life on earth, I'm betting Charlie saw the Son of God standing tall to welcome him home. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the greatest treasures of Charlie's heart, his beautiful wife, Erica, and his two precious children. To watch Charlie with his family, the joy on his face, the devotion in his eyes, was to see the gospel lived out. And for me, for me, it was inspiring. And now, in the face of unthinkable loss, Erica has shown extraordinary courage, not only as a mother, but in stepping forward to carry on Charlie's mission as the CEO of Turning Point USA. Charlie always brought out the best in all of us. When Charlie first said to me during the 2016 campaign, hey, let's start doing events on college campuses. I was like, whoa, seriously? Come on, man. We've given up on that. We're going to let those kids grow up and we'll get them when they start paying taxes. But he convinced me to give it a shot. And there were a couple events that showed just how brave and courageous Charlie was, even as a very young man. At Michigan State University, five minutes before we were supposed to go on stage, the state police told us, and I quote, we can no longer guarantee your safety. Because the left-wing activists, they were going crazy. It was rough. That sounded like a great reason to pack it up and head out. But it was one of the many times that I would agree with Charlie, who said, no way, we're going out there anyway. At one of the last events of the 2024 campaign at Arizona State, some lunatic called it a threat to try to keep us from going on the stage. Again, we went out there anyway, without fear. Charlie led the way. His message was clear then, and his message is clear now. We won't back down. We won't be intimidated. Bible says over a hundred times in the pages of scripture, do not be afraid. And the hundred thousand people here today are a signal to the world. Our message of faith, family, and country will not be silenced. It always amazes me how Charlie chose to use his platform. He had one of the largest microphones in the entire conservative movement. And what did he do with it? Day after day, week after week, he handed it to the very people who opposed him most. The media tried to smear him as some sort of dangerous radical, but Charlie embodied something at the very core of our movement. When people disagree with us, we don't silence them. We don't destroy them, and we certainly don't sink to violence. We don't burn down their businesses. We don't scream at their children at Disneyland. No, we debate. We stand tall, and we win with our ideas. The true extremists are those who would justify and celebrate taking an innocent life over nothing more than disagreement. That is the real radicalism, and we reject it completely. Charlie delighted in his belief that people could be persuaded. He believed the way to win hearts was with truth, with courage, and with conversation. He would always be the first to say, you are welcomed here. And that's what I want to leave you with today. If we're truly going to honor Charlie properly, his loss cannot be the end of the story. His legacy must be that when they took his life, a million more Charlies stepped up to fill the void. We are all Charlie. So let's send a message here today, guys. I want to make sure the world hears us loud and clear. Will you surrender? Will you back down? Will you give up in fear? Good. If you're among the millions of people watching today, please see this and know you are not alone. Charlie's message, like Christ's, was an invitation. If this resonates with you, and you believe American values are worth defending, welcome. If you believe in faith, family, and freedom, then you are with us. No matter your past, no matter how you voted, no matter where you come from, this movement is your home. If you're not already seated at this table, we have a seat prepared for you. If you believe in God and family and country, you are one of us. If you believe our government should put the interests of our citizens first, welcome. If you believe American workers deserve dignity and American families should be able to afford a good life on one salary, welcome. If you reject the propaganda of the fake news media, welcome. If you want to eradicate the criminal cartels and get drugs out of our communities, welcome. If you believe days are ahead and are willing to stand up to make America great again for your children and for generations to come, welcome. Charlie loved this country, its people, and the work of persuading others to believe in something greater than themselves. And if we live with that same courage, our legacy, like Charlie's, will live forever. Charlie, my brother, we love you, we miss you, and we will not let you down. And as the scripture promises, well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Lord. God bless and thank you so much.