Donald Trump Attends Charlie Kirk’s Funeral in Arizona 11 Days After Assassination

President Donald Trump is paying tribute to Charlie Kirk.

The 79-year-old politician attended the 31-year-old political commentator’s funeral at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., on Sunday, Sept. 21. He was joined by his son Eric Trump.

Donald, 79, was photographed arriving via Air Force One before heading inside the venue, where he was seen sitting in an upper level, looking out over the audience with Eric, 41.

Kirk, the co-founder of Turning Point USA, was fatally shot on Wednesday, Sept 10, while speaking at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, during the first stop of his American Comeback Tour.

A Turning Point USA spokesperson confirmed Kirk’s death in a statement shared with PEOPLE, writing, “May he be received into the merciful arms of our loving Savior who suffered and died for Charlie. We ask that everyone keep his family and loved ones in your prayers.”

Meanwhile, Trump mourned the loss with a post on Truth Social that afternoon.

“The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead,” he wrote. “No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie. He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us.”

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Sept. 11, Trump said that he had been invited to attend the funeral, adding, “I think I have an obligation,” according to CNN.

During an interview with Fox News, Trump said that he would be going “to a funeral for a great gentleman named Charlie Kirk, who should not be having a funeral right now. He should be out there in front of people, he loved doing it, he was so good at it,” via CBS News.

He continued to praise Kirk for having “a big impact on the election.”

“You know, I won, I got so many young voters that no Republican’s ever gotten anything close. I dominated with young people. And it’s never happened before. And I give him so much credit,” he said.

Trump has paid tribute to Kirk while attending events after his death.

While visiting the Pentagon for a 9/11 memorial ceremony on Thursday, Sept. 11, he announced plans to honor the right-wing media personality with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

“The date of the ceremony will be announced, and I can only guarantee you one thing: That we will have a very big crowd. Very, very big,” he said.

Also, on Sept. 11, Vice President JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance accompanied Kirk’s casket and his widowed wife, Erika Kirk, as they flew his body back to Arizona.

The Associated Press obtained photos of the group arriving in Phoenix on Air Force Two.

Vance paid tribute to Kirk with a post on X, writing, “Charlie Kirk was a true friend. The kind of guy you could say something to and know it would always stay with him.”

He continued, saying, “And because he was a true friend, you could instinctively trust the people Charlie introduced you to. So much of the success we’ve had in this administration traces directly to Charlie’s ability to organize and convene. He didn’t just help us win in 2024, he helped us staff the entire government.”

Kirk rose to fame after co-founding Turning Point at just 18 years old to advocate for conservative politics on high school, college, and university campuses.

Leading up to the 2020 presidential election, his three-hour radio talk show, called The Charlie Kirk Show, made him a close ally of Trump’s and, in 2020, he was appointed by the president to a commission promoting “patriotic education.”

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The gunman who killed Kirk fled the scene of the crime after firing a single shot. A manhunt ensued, with the FBI releasing a video of the suspect leaping off a roof to get away.

On Friday, Sept. 12, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox announced that authorities had apprehended a suspect — 22-year-old Utah resident Tyler Robinson. During a press conference that day, the governor alleged that Robinson had “confessed” to the crime or implied responsibility while speaking to a family member.

Amid claims that the assassination was politically motivated, voter records shared on Sept. 12 revealed that Robinson had not voted in the prior two presidential elections and that he was registered as an unaffiliated voter.