Trump presents Charlie Kirk with Medal of Freedom posthumously: NPR

President Trump posthumously awarded conservative activist Charlie Kirk the Medal of Freedom at the White House on Tuesday, a little more than a month after he was shot and killed at an event in Orem, Utah.

Kirk, who died aged 31, was a leading ally of the president and was seen as one of the main forces mobilizing young Americans to vote for him. His death became a rallying cry for many Republican leaders and activists, who pledged to continue his work.

Trump, who was personally close to Kirk — as were his son Don Jr. and Vice President Vance — praised Kirk’s political impact during a ceremony in the White House Rose Garden on Tuesday afternoon.

“We are here to honor and remember a fearless warrior for freedom, a beloved leader who galvanized the next generation like no one I have ever seen before,” Trump said, adding that the ceremony fell on what would have been Kirk’s 32nd birthday.

“Charlie is taking a much bigger step,” he added. “We inscribe his name forever in the eternal list of true American heroes.”

President Trump speaks with Erika Kirk, the widow of Charlie Kirk, during the Medal of Freedom ceremony Tuesday in the White House Rose Garden.

Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

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Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

The Presidential Medal of Freedom is considered the highest civilian honor bestowed by the United States government. Previous recipients include members of Congress, activists, as well as scientific leaders and cultural icons.

Kirk’s death sparked a broader discussion about the causes of political violencewith many Republican leaders accusing “far left” groups of fueling such violence. Without naming specific groups, Trump echoed those claims in his remarks Tuesday.

“We have seen legions of far-left radicals resort to desperate acts of violence and terror because they know their ideas and arguments persuade no one,” Trump said. “They know they are failing. They have the ideology of the devil and they are failing.”

But as the threat of political violence increases, data shows an increase in violence committed by people who have been victims of political violence. influenced by a mixture of different extremist ideologies.

By the time of his death, Kirk had developed millions of followers online, espousing socially conservative Christian beliefs. Critics of Kirk have called much of his rhetoric offensive, including his opposition to transgender rights and past comments that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a “mistake.”

Kirk’s supporters denounced those who raised criticism after his death, resulting in some lose their jobsand comedian Jimmy Kimmel was temporarily taken off the air for his comments.

Within the Turning Point movement, the late activist was considered both an influential political figure and a seasoned youth organizer.

He founded Turning Point USA in 2012, at the age of 18, to engage college and high school students in conservative ideas. More than a decade later, the organization has become a national player in Republican politics, with hundreds of chapters across the country and a a reported turnover of nearly $85 million — as well as a slew of sister organizations, including his advocacy group Turning Point Action, which worked with the Trump campaign on voter turnout efforts last year.

The awards ceremony comes just weeks after tens of thousands of supporters gathered in Glendale, Ariz., for Kirk’s public memorial, where he was repeatedly described as a political “martyr”.

It’s a characterization Trump repeated Tuesday, as did Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, who fought back tears as she accepted the award on her husband’s behalf.

“God has begun a mighty work through my husband and I intend to see it through,” said Erika Kirk, who has since been named the new CEO of Turning Point. “The torch is now in our hands.”

The 36 year old man faith-based entrepreneur played a key role in shaping the next phase of her husband’s organization, pledging to continue many of his efforts, including the campus tour he had just begun when he was assassinated.

Since Kirk’s death, Turning Point also reported receiving tens of thousands of requests to start new chapters at schools across the country.

At the start of her speech, Erika Kirk made a point of highlighting the organization’s student network, calling it “the heart of this future and this movement.”

“Everything Charlie built, you own it,” she added. “You are living proof that his mission did not die with him. It lives through you.”