During a White House ceremony held in the Rose Garden on Tuesday, coinciding with what would have been her husband’s 32nd birthday, Erika Kirk accepted the Presidential Medal of Freedom on behalf of Charlie Kirk. She also delivered a heartfelt and powerful homage to his life and lasting impact.
“Mr. President, I am grateful for this profound recognition of my husband,” she stated at the beginning. “Charlie always held your dedication to freedom in high esteem.”
She expressed her gratitude to the First Lady, the Vice President, and both friends and family “watching from across the globe,” in addition to the staff and chapters of Turning Point USA nationwide. “You all form the core of this future and this movement,” she conveyed. “All that Charlie established endures through you.”
Erika further commented that the Presidential Medal of Freedom is intrinsically linked to the foundation of America. “The very presence of the Presidential Medal of Freedom serves as a reminder that the national priority of the United States has consistently been freedom,” she remarked.
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“Our founding fathers inscribed it at the start of our Constitution, and these words are not merely relics on paper. They represent a living agreement. The privileges of liberty are not a creation of mankind but are a gift from God.”
She recounted Charlie’s frequent writings on the subject of freedom. “He viewed liberty as both an entitlement and a duty. He often said that freedom is having the ability to act rightly without being afraid, and he lived by that,” Erika shared.
“His name, Charles, literally means ‘free man,’ which perfectly described my husband,” she continued. “From our initial meeting, during an interview where we discussed politics, philosophy, and theology, I could see the passion within him. There was an almost divine restlessness, stemming from his belief that God intended him to safeguard something truly sacred. He was relentless in his fight for others to experience freedom.”
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Erika recalled Charlie often expressing that “without God, freedom descends into chaos,” and that liberty can only be sustained “when it is rooted in truth.” She remembered him saying to an audience, “The opposite of liberty isn’t law, it’s captivity. And the freest people in the world are those who have given their hearts to Christ.”
Reflecting on his years of building Turning Point USA, she noted, “While he was growing an organization, he was simultaneously fostering a movement: a movement drawing people back to God, back to truth, and filled with courage.”
She portrayed him as someone who cherished life’s simple joys: peaceful walks, bookshelves overflowing with books, and Saturday mornings spent in the sun enjoying decaf coffee with his phone off for the Sabbath. She remembered that his birthday tradition was indulging in mint chocolate chip ice cream, a treat reserved only for July 4 and his birthday.
“Last year, all he wanted for his birthday was to watch the Oregon Ducks play Ohio State—and they won,” she recounted. “Mr. President, I am confident in saying that you have given him the greatest birthday present he could ever receive.”
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Turning to his final moments, Erika revealed, “In his last moments, he wore one of his simple t-shirts bearing a message—this one emblazoned with a single word: freedom. That word encapsulated his life.”
She noted that her husband never dictated what others should say, but always urged them “to think beyond conventional political labels, guided by wisdom and truth.”
“Charlie was not satisfied with merely admiring freedom; he wanted to expand it,” Erika stated. “He aspired for young individuals to experience it, comprehend it, and defend it. He wanted them to realize that liberty is not about selfish indulgence but about self-governance under God.”
She remembered that he lived daily with unwavering conviction. “He was not afraid of being defamed, nor did he fear losing friends. He championed truth and stood for freedom. Everything else was irrelevant to him, because his faith in Christ was absolute.”
Erika mentioned that Charlie lived “only 31 brief years on this earth,” but filled each day with purpose. “He defended truth when it was unpopular, stood for God when it was costly, prayed for his adversaries, and showed love to people when it was inconvenient. He persevered in his journey, remained faithful, and now wears the crown of a righteous martyr.”
She addressed the audience, saying, “Heaven gained what earth could no longer contain—a free man made completely free. To everyone watching, this is not just a ceremony, but a call to action. I urge you to embody the spirit of this medal. I want you to liberate yourselves from fear and stand resolutely in truth. Remember that while freedom is a birthright in this nation, we must each be deliberate in safeguarding it.”
Before concluding, Erika shared her daughter Gigi’s birthday message: “Happy birthday, Daddy. I want to give you a stuffed animal. I want us to have cupcakes with ice cream. And I want you to have a birthday surprise. I love you.”
Her young son also presented his own gift, “deciding to step up as the man of the house and fully mastering potty-training at just 16 months.”
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“I know you are celebrating in heaven today, but oh, how I miss you,” she expressed through tears. “We miss you and we love you, and we promise to make you proud. Charlie’s life exemplified that freedom is not just a theory but a lived reality. He demonstrated that liberty originates not in places of power, but in the heart of a person devoted to God.”
She concluded with a final tribute: “To live freely is the greatest gift, but to die free is the ultimate victory. Happy birthday, Charlie. Happy freedom day.”
