President Donald Trump paid an emotional tribute to Charlie Kirk on Wednesday night, one day before the one-year mark of the conservative activist’s killing, using a speech at the Republican Midterm Convention to cast the assassination as a window into the political character of the left.
According to The Daily Wire, Trump told the crowd that Kirk was killed because he “spoke the truth,” and he tied the remembrance directly to the coming midterm elections, urging supporters not to let Democrats take power.
A Killing And Its Aftermath
Kirk, the founder of the conservative youth organization Turning Point USA, was shot on September 10, 2025, while speaking at an event at Utah Valley University. His death set off a national reckoning over political violence and prompted an outpouring of grief from conservatives who considered him a leading voice on college campuses.
“One year ago tomorrow, a far-Left extremist assassinated my great friend and conservative voice Charlie Kirk because Charlie Kirk spoke the truth,” Trump said Wednesday night, per The Daily Wire.
The president also raised the reaction that followed the shooting, saying the response from some quarters left Americans shaken. “What shocked millions of Americans was not only the fact that Charlie was murdered, as bad as it was, but also how many people made an excuse for it or cheered for it,” he said. “They were cheering, some people, sick people.”
Trump argued that the moment laid bare the instincts of his political opponents, telling the convention that “for a brief moment, the mask came off the radical Left, and you saw what they were really all about.”
A Widow In The Room
Chants of “Charlie” broke out across the convention hall, according to The Daily Wire, as Trump acknowledged Erika Kirk, the activist’s widow. She was seated next to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
Erika Kirk has since been elected chair and CEO of Turning Point USA, the organization her husband founded. She has also spoken publicly about navigating her grief one year after the killing.
Trump closed the tribute with a direct message. “We will not let them win, and in Charlie’s honor, I just want to say we love you Charlie,” he said.
Pivot To The Midterms
The president used the moment to frame the November elections as a choice, alleging that those who excused or celebrated the killing are now seeking office and voting for Democrats. “Now, those same people are trying to get power over you in this election, and they’re all voting Democrat, okay?” he said. “They’re all voting, every one of them, and you can’t let it happen.”
It is a familiar argument from Trump: that the political left bears responsibility for a climate he says has encouraged violence, and that voters should respond at the ballot box. Whether the framing moves voters in a midterm year is an open question, but the speech made clear the White House intends to keep Kirk’s memory central to its midterm messaging.
Case Moves Toward Trial
Separately, a judge ruled earlier this month that Tyler Robinson, the man accused of killing Kirk, will stand trial on all seven charges he faces related to the shooting, including aggravated murder. If convicted, he could face the death penalty.
Prosecutors have pointed to evidence they say shows Robinson sent messages accusing Kirk of spreading “too much hate.” Investigators also recovered bullet casings inscribed with phrases including “Hey fascist! CATCH!” and “If you read this, you are GAY Lmao.” Robinson, described by family members as liberal, was dating a transgender-identifying man at the time of the shooting, according to The Daily Wire.
The trial will be closely watched, both for what it establishes about the accused’s motives and for its place in a broader national argument over political violence. For Kirk’s allies, the anniversary and the coming proceedings are intertwined: they have consistently cast the killing as evidence of something larger than one man’s actions.
One Year On
The tribute comes as Kirk’s organization presses forward under new leadership. Erika Kirk’s elevation to chair and CEO of Turning Point USA signals continuity for a group that became a fixture of conservative youth politics under her husband.
For Trump, Wednesday’s remarks marked another entry in a long-running effort to define the stakes of the midterms through the lens of the assassination. The message he delivered from the podium was aimed less at relitigating the past year than at converting grief into turnout.
“We will not let them win,” he said, as the crowd chanted Kirk’s name.
Source: www.dailywire.com — https://www.dailywire.com/news/we-will-not-let-them-win-trump-gives-emotional-tribute-to-charlie-kirk