President Trump announced that he will posthumously award Charlie Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom after he was assassinated on Wednesday afternoon.
Trump made the announcement while delivering remarks at the 9/11 Pentagon Memorial in Arlington, Virginia, commemorating the 24th anniversary of September 11, 2001.
The President honored Kirk to begin his remarks, calling him “a giant of his generation, a champion of liberty and an inspiration to millions and millions of people.”
“We miss him greatly, yet I have no doubt that Charlie’s voice and the courage he put into the hearts of countless people, especially young people, will live on,” he added.
On Wednesday, Charlie Kirk was shot in the neck while he was speaking at Utah Valley University.
A graphic video of the incident showed Kirk being hit in the neck before falling to the ground.
The horrific scene unfolded in front of thousands of college students at the college university.
The 31-year-old political commentator, activist, and co-founder of Turning Point USA tragically passed away in the hospital hours after the terrorist attack during a stop on his “Prove Me Wrong” tour at the college campus.
An investigation and manhunt are ongoing after authorities arrested a suspect, who claimed to have shot Kirk, in the crowd immediately after the shooting, but it was later revealed that he was not the gunman. The suspect shot Kirk from a building roughly 200 yards away from where he was speaking.
FBI Director Kash Patel announced on Wednesday evening that they arrested another suspect, but the FBI did not identify the individual. He was later released by the FBI after an interrogation.
Charlie is survived by his wife, Erika, and two children, a three-year-old girl and a one-year-old boy.
“Our prayers are with his wonderful wife, Erika, and his beautiful children, fantastic people they are,” Trump said.
The President said he will hold a ceremony to grant Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom on a date to be announced, guaranteeing that “we will have a very big crowd, very, very big.”
WATCH:
Trump: Before we begin, let me express the horror and grief so many Americans at the heinous assassination of Charlie Kirk have felt. Charlie was a giant of his generation, a champion of liberty and an inspiration to millions and millions of people. Our prayers are with his wonderful wife, Erika and his beautiful children, fantastic people they are.
We miss him greatly, yet I have no doubt that Charlie’s voice and the courage he put into the hearts of countless people, especially young people, will live on. I’m pleased to announce that I will soon be awarding Charlie Kirk, posthumously, 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.
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