Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
President Trump, Admin Officials, And Erika Kirk Pay Tribute To Activist Charlie Kirk. Aired 7-8p ET
Aired September 21, 2025 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[19:00:04]
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And we will do the ceremony at our beautiful White House in a very safe Washington, D.C., a place that Charlie truly revered. You know, we stopped the crime in Washington, took 12 days. Now you can go to restaurants. You can walk down the middle of the street with your wife. You can have your wife walk alone down the middle of the street. She's going to be in good shape.
What a difference. What a difference good management really makes. But it's -- I'm so proud of that. Washington, D.C., you know, it was one of the worst in the nation, in the world. And now it's considered a very safe city. And it's also -- I passed it yesterday. I went through it and the lawns are good. It's like a different place. It's like the tents are gone, the threats are gone. The gangs aren't there. We got rid of, you know, we took out 1500 career criminals, 1500.
If you have three career criminals that can make a big difference. But I'm so proud of Washington, D.C. and now we're going into Memphis, and we'll get that one straightened out fast. And then we're going into some others, but we're going to go to Chicago and we're going to have Charlie very much in mind when we go into Chicago. And we'll get that one straightened out.
You have an incompetent governor who -- he thinks it's OK when 11 people get murdered over the weekend. He thinks you don't have any crime when 11 people get murdered and 28 people get shot. He says he's got crime. No, they don't have it under control. But we'll have it under control very quickly. So we're going to be doing that. And Charlie loved what we were doing. He was so proud of what happened. He was there to see it. He's so proud of what happened in Washington, D.C.
As you know, the depraved assassin who planned and executed Charlie's killing has been arrested and charged with capital murder. God willing, he will receive the full and ultimate punishment for his horrific crime. It's a terrible thing. Because you can't let that happen. You can't let that happen. You can't let it happen to a country. The Department of Justice is also investigating networks of radical left maniacs who fund, organize, fuel and perpetrate political violence.
And we think we know who many of them are. But law enforcement can only be the beginning of our response to Charlie's murder. Over the last 11 days, we have heard stories of commentators, influencers and others in our society who greeted his assassination with sick approval, excuses, or even jubilation. You've heard that. So have I. Couldn't believe it. Some of the very same people who spent the last eight years trying to sit in moral judgment of anyone who disagreed with them about politics suddenly started cheering for a murder. Incredible.
You know the names. They're major losers, by the way. They'll be -- that will be proven out in a short period of time. Some of the very people who call you a hater for using the wrong pronoun were filled with glee at the killing of a father with two beautiful young children, and the same commentators who this week are screaming fascism over a canceled late-night TV show where the anchor had no talent and no ratings, last week were implying that Charlie Kirk deserved what happened to him.
No side in American politics has a monopoly on disturbed or misguided people, but there's one part of our political community which believes they have a monopoly on truth, goodness and virtue, and concludes they have also a monopoly on power, thought and speech. Well, that's not happening anymore. We've turned that corner very quickly. Tragically, atrocities of this kind and kind that we saw in Utah, of all places, are the eventual consequence of that kind of thinking.
If speech is violence, then some are bound to conclude that violence is justified to stop speech. And we're not going to let that be justified. The tradition of reason and open debate that Charlie practiced is not a pillar of our democracy. In many ways it's the basis of our entire society. It's the right and inheritance of every free American. The greatest legacy of the enlightenment. And among the most treasured achievements of civilization.
We will defend it at all cost, and we will carry forward the torch of liberty that Charlie Kirk held so proud and so high.
[19:05:05]
He was so proud, and he did hold that torch high. We will never, ever let it fail. We will never let it fail. But we're going to raise it higher than ever before. It's going to be raised. And this is the beginning. Perhaps it should be no surprise that Charlie, who spent his life speaking with the critics of these traditions ultimately became convinced that we needed not just a political realignment, but also a spiritual reawakening. We did.
And we have to bring back religion to America because without borders, law and order and religion, you really don't have a country anymore. We want religion brought back to America. We want to bring God back into our beautiful USA like never before. We want God back.
Charlie would have been so pleased to hear his friends and colleagues today giving testimony and giving glory to God. Within minutes of the gunshot in Utah, millions of Americans, young and old, heard the news and dropped to their knees and started praying. Even many who rarely prayed asked God for a miracle, please, God, save Charlie. But although Charlie's time with us on earth has ended, those prayers for a miracle have already been answered.
Look at what's happening. Look at what's happening. In the days since Charlie's death, we have seen how his legacy has touched so many millions around the world. In Calgary, Canada, thousands gathered at city hall to sing the American national anthem and raise up posters with the name Charlie Kirk.
In Seoul, South Korea, crowds gathered to wave American flags and shout, we are for Charlie Kirk. His memory has been honored in the streets of Berlin, Warsaw, Vienna, Sydney, Madrid, London, Tel Aviv, and all over the world. So beautiful to watch. A man as far away as rural Australia texting a pastor, I'm going to come to church tomorrow for the first time ever. The pastor says, why is that? The man replied, because of Charlie Kirk. Can you imagine?
The lesson of Charlie's life is that you should never underestimate what one person can do with a good heart, a righteous cause, a cheerful spirit, and the will to fight, fight, fight. Have to fight. We're saving our country. And Charlie's a big factor. Such a big factor. Charlie Kirk started with only an idea to change minds on college campuses, and instead he ended up with a far greater achievement changing history. It changed history.
Today, Charlie Kirk rests in glory in heaven for all eternity. He has gone from speaking on campuses in Wisconsin to kneeling at the throne of God, where he is right now.
(APPLAUSE)
TRUMP: We grieve for the friend and leader that we have lost, but we go forward, strengthened by his faith and bolstered by his courage and inspired by his example to defend the country he lived for, for the freedoms he died for, and the values in which he so deeply believed. He believed in values that we should all believe in.
Charlie created something very special. It's called Turning Point USA, and under the leadership and love of Erika, it will become bigger and better and stronger than ever before.
(APPLAUSE)
TRUMP: So, Charlie, we all want to thank you. We want to say a very loud God bless you, Charlie. God bless you for what you've done is incredible. And God bless Erika and the children. God bless the United States of America.
And could I ask Erika, please come out? Erika, please come out. Thank you.
(APPLAUSE)
[19:10:41]
TRUMP: Thank you very much, everybody. Thank you very much. And good luck. God be with you. Thank you.
(APPLAUSE)
BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: We have been listening to President Donald Trump alongside Erika Kirk, the widow of Charlie Kirk, from Glendale, Arizona, a huge memorial for the late conservative activist who was assassinated 11 days ago. In his speech, President Trump spent roughly the same amount of time eulogizing Kirk as he did giving what amounts to a political speech, extolling tariffs and his takeover of law enforcement in Washington, D.C., going after political opponents.
In fact, in one of the most notable parts of his speech, he said that Charlie Kirk didn't hate his opponents. He wanted the best for them. "That's where I disagree with Charlie, President Trump said. "I hate my opponent. I can't help it."
PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: And he talked about how Charlie would say the left and how President Trump would say the radical left lunatics, and how he disagreed with Charlie on that, but that Charlie would stick to calling it the left.
But, David Chalian, to bring you in, President Trump, while he did pay tribute to Charlie Kirk, he certainly used this as a forum for a rally of sorts for himself.
DAVID CHALIAN, CNN WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF: Yes. I mean, anybody who has watched President Trump give a political speech would find this material familiar. And that he was weaving into the tribute to Charlie Kirk.
I'm glad you noted, he himself drew the contrast between his approach to political opponents and Charlie Kirk's approach to political opponents. I'm glad the president put that contrast on display because they did not treat them the same. And, and it's not true that President Trump can't help himself. He can. He chooses not to. He prefers to hate his opponent, as he says.
I do think that it was -- you could see there were times where he was looking away from the teleprompter, and those were the times where we got a preview to tomorrow's announcement about autism, where we got criticism of J.B. Pritzker, where we got the trashing of Jimmy Kimmel again. And then he would -- you can see his head move back to the teleprompter, and all of a sudden we were back to Charlie Kirk.
You know, I don't know that any of us at this table expected much different from President Trump than this. He clearly did not want to simply use this moment, as a unifying moment. He wanted to make sure that he still positioned himself as a political leader that has an opposition that he wants to defeat. And that included some of the greatest hits, like going back to --
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: 2020.
CHALIAN: His lie about the 2020 election.
BROWN: Right. Yes.
CHALIAN: And saying that that was a stolen election and that they cheated.
HOLMES: They cheated like dogs.
BROWN: And it was notable because we saw some of the other administration officials sort of tone it down, and they did have a more unifying message than what we heard in the days right after Charlie Kirk's killing. But once again, you hear the president of the United States, he said, you know, the violence is mostly from the left. That is not supported by the data we should note. And sadly, we see political violence across the spectrum. But once again, using that divisive rhetoric.
HOLMES: Yes. And I do want to be clear, I don't actually think that members of the administration toned it down. I think they really shifted the narrative during their speeches. We heard so much focus on religion and who Charlie Kirk was as a person, talking about resolve, talking about bringing people into the movement. Other than we heard the aggressive speech from one of Trump's aides, most of these speeches didn't reference political violence.
And even when we heard it from Vice President J.D. Vance, he specifically talked about how Charlie Kirk wouldn't have wanted him to just focus on the evil, to acknowledge the evil that walks among them, but also to focus on prayer and the positive and the optimism and the people who have come into the movement since Charlie Kirk was assassinated. So it's not, you know, it's not as though the theme, underlying theme here was political.
I really do believe the underlying theme of the entire speeches leading up to President Trump was about Charlie as a person and his religion and painting a portrait of who he was and where the movement is going.
[19:15:08]
However, that did shift when President Trump took the stage. And again, as you noted, much of this is stuff that we often hear covered him for two years on the campaign trail. These are his greatest hits.
BROWN: But they certainly did tone it down when it comes to talking about, quote-unquote, "left-wing groups," and them being responsible. We heard that in the days after. We didn't hear that other than from President Trump himself.
SANCHEZ: Previous to President Trump, it was mostly sort of generic terms. They.
BROWN: They, right. Didn't go --
SANCHEZ: A description of sort of a spiritual war enemies. President Trump was precise, Shermichael, in saying left-wing violence, left- wing radicals, as he often calls them, though he did say, I thought it was notable in that moment, that it was possible that Erika, Kirk's widow, may convince him otherwise. He said maybe Erika could persuade him. SHERMICHAEL SINGLETON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: He did say that. He
also talked a lot about Charlie being a hard-working person and how he, the president himself, didn't want to let him down, and how if he got close to letting him down, it made him feel guilty. And so we're there sort of the political thematics, of course. I was texting several prominent conservatives who were there.
Everybody sort of expected the president to talk about politics because he's the president. But the parts that stood out to several of the folks I text was about the president talking about who Charlie was to him and his experiences to Charlie. So I kind of want to put that in perspective. I think sometimes it can be lost upon us in terms of how conservatives are viewing what the president is saying versus how maybe more the mainstream may be viewing what the president is saying.
BROWN: No, I think that's important, but just to follow up on that, is that the message you wanted to hear from President Trump?
SINGLETON: Look, I think the president struck the right tone in terms of talking about Charlie. Would I have preferred some of the politics? You know, I guess I'll leave that for people to decide on their own. I get it. Again, he's the president. Charlie was political in nature, and he was a supporter of the president's agenda whether people agree with that or not. So it doesn't surprise me that the president would bring up certain aspects of his political beliefs, which, again, Charlie did everything he could to support the president's agenda.
XOCHITL HINOJOSA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I love you, but I disagree.
SINGLETON: That's OK. That's OK. Respectfully, right?
BROWN: Look how respectful that was.
(LAUGHTER)
HINOJOSA: Love you but I disagree. I think in times like this, especially when there is political violence, you need the president, regardless of who it is, to bring the country together. And that has not happened. We -- this was an opportunity for Trump to do that. He did not take that opportunity. Everyone else did except for his adviser, but everybody else took that opportunity.
The person who really did that was Erika Kirk. She came to the moment. She understood that people need to be brought together. She's probably one of the only people besides Donald Trump who could do that. So much that she says -- you said it earlier that she forgave the shooter. She also said the answer to hate is not hate. She talked about love for our enemies. She talked about the First Amendment and the importance of the First Amendment.
These are all things that should have come, you know, largely about bringing our country together from our president, but instead it came from the widow of Charlie Kirk, which I think is, I mean, I don't know how she did it. First of all, giving that speech, but also rising to the moment when our country needs leadership, when our country needs to hear those messages of coming together. It was the widow who did it, you know.
SANCHEZ: I have to admit, David, it was the first time that I'd ever heard Erika Kirk speak publicly. I think that's the case for a lot of people. Would it be an overstatement to say that we witnessed the birth of a political star?
CHALIAN: Well, certainly I think both in the immediate aftermath of the assassination when she spoke in a video presentation and here you see that she was, as she describes, also a full partner in this movement with Charlie Kirk. So I don't think she is coming into this cold, right? This is clearly something that has been a joint force in their household. And I think our reporting has suggested she informed, you know, when asked, how much are you aware, as somebody was saying this on our air earlier, like what is going on in the organization, she's like, I know everything, absolutely everything that's going on.
So I do think she is a political force, there's no doubt about it. And she's now in a position that, yes, her star could certainly rise here. I mean, that was -- it was indeed an astonishing tribute to her husband and also just a planted moment of someone trying to capture the attention of everyone in this room and around the world watching not just about her personal pain, but about the purpose this moment of pain can serve from here on out.
I just want to get back to President Trump. One other thing that he said that I think is worth us exploring because he did isolate the, quote-unquote, "depraved assassin" who planned and executed.
[19:20:08]
So he did focus that there is a human being responsible for what happened here. But he went immediately after and said but you can't let this thing happen to a country. And that the Department of Justice will be investigating networks of radical left maniacs who fund and perpetrate political violence. Law enforcement is only the beginning of the response to murder.
This to me suggests, as we've been learning in our reporting, we're still going to get probably a pretty robust sort of policy pursuit and executive action pursuit of a targeting of the political opposition. I think he remains fully committed to that. And I think that that is something for us to continue to watch because that, that is well outside the mainstream and the norm of how you would direct your Department of Justice. I mean, that is the weaponization of justice that he decried throughout his entire campaign.
BROWN: I just want to note quickly, too. There is no publicly available evidence that the suspect in this case was tied to any larger liberal groups.
HOLMES: Just to go to David's point, though, I also think if you were watching that speech, those moments, particularly the second one, which you're talking about now, about the radical left networks, did not seem like off-script moments. They were not part of larger tangents that he was going off on. They were not a spiral about autism or an announcement or the 2020 election. Those seem to be planned moments that were in his speech.
So as we talk about what was scripted, what was not, clearly the part about where he says radical left lunatics, Charlie wouldn't have liked that but I can't help myself, that seemed like an off script moment. The part where he specifically says that there's a murderer, and now we have to move forward and I'm directing the Department of Justice to do that, that seemed to be a very on script moment, something he had planned on saying, which goes to show you what he was thinking as he put this speech together. It wasn't, you know, all about just eulogizing Charlie Kirk. It was also about what was next.
SANCHEZ: Let's take you back inside State Farm Stadium right now. CNN's Arlette Saenz was there for the event.
Arlette, what was it like to be in the room for these speeches?
ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Boris, there's no question that the speaker who captivated the audience here the most was Charlie Kirk's widow, Erika Kirk. As she spoke about her husband the audience was wrapped, focusing all of their attention on her. I looked around, people weren't looking at their phones, taking pictures. They really were trying to soak in the message that she had as she spoke about her personal relationship with her husband, Charlie Kirk, with his relationship with his faith, and with God, and also that moment where she said that she is ready to forgive the man who shot and killed her husband.
That was a very powerful moment here in the room. There were many people I looked over just to my right, who I saw really breaking into tears when they heard Erika Kirk give this message.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ERIKA KIRK, WIDOW OF CHARLIE KIRK: He wanted to save young men, just like the one who took his life. On the cross our savior said, Father, forgive them for they not know what they do. That man, that young man, I forgive him.
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAENZ: So you heard there the large eruption of applause after she said those words. I forgive that young man.
Now, really, throughout this nearly five-hour service, the points that we saw, the crowd most engaged came when they were talking about Charlie Kirk's faith, when they were talking about him as a man, and also the work that he had done to promote this conservative movement.
Yes, there were political moments. We heard President Trump at times delve into a more political tone, but the real responses that we saw from these crowds here were relating to the personal aspects, Charlie Kirk as a human being, and the impact that he has had, that he has had on the conservative movement at large.
BROWN: All right, Arlette, thank you so much.
I want to bring in Republican strategist and CNN senior political commentator, David Urban, and CNN chief political analyst and former senior adviser to President Obama, David Axelrod.
David Urban, I want to start with you. What stood out to you from tonight's speeches?
DAVID URBAN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, like everyone else, I think that Erika Kirk did an incredible job.
[19:25:01]
I think her message of, you know, you don't beat hate with more hate. And the forgiveness of her husband's assassin is truly remarkable. If you tuned in for the whole five hours, you would have seen that this was truly a revival. It was almost like going to church. The music was spectacular. The tributes were spectacular. But for the president's comments, it felt like a revival. The president did mention that, but it was -- it was a spectacular tribute to Charlie Kirk, a man who the president did say, you know, was a good humor, good spirit, great young man who was stricken down too soon.
But his wife's forgiveness of the assassin and message of, you know, hate does not beat more hate or, excuse me, more hate does not beat hate, I think is truly remarkable.
BROWN: Just to follow up, when you said but for the president's comments. what do you mean specifically?
URBAN: Yes, well, if anyone was expecting to get a consoler-in-chief speech, you know, I think they were -- they were sadly, you know, sadly mistaken. This wasn't going to deliver it. And as David Chalian and others said around the table, this sounded more like a rally speech that the president would have given anywhere. Some Charlie Kirk mixed in. I didn't think I was going to hear, you know, that Charlie Kirk was a huge fan of tariffs. You know, other things, you know, vaccines, MAHA movement. There's a lot of policy mixed in and not as much revival in the president's speech.
SANCHEZ: It's notable as David Urban says that, that President Trump said that Charlie Kirk was thrilled with the federal takeover of troops in D.C., that he loved D.C. when a speaker earlier said that he was not a huge fan of D.C.
BROWN: That was notable.
SANCHEZ: David Axelrod, I wonder what you made of the speeches you heard tonight, specifically President Trump's.
DAVID AXELROD, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, I feel like we just took a journey from the sacred to the profane, to be honest with you. You know that moment of forgiveness from Erika Kirk was a stunning thing. And beyond that, she said, when we lose the ability and willingness to communicate, we get violence. I mean, hers was a message of reconciliation. And his was, you know,
he seemed to seize on it as another opportunity to divide and blame and inflame. And it was so discordant. You know, everybody said it. I'm sure it's right. You know, grace may not be within his range. But that is what this moment called for. And he really so misread it. It was as if he couldn't let it just be about Charlie Kirk, whereas all the other speakers, other than Stephen Miller, who was even more inflammatory, all the other speakers adhered to that.
So it was, you know, sad for the country that the president just couldn't get there tonight. You know, and I do think that he did, I think David Chalian is right. He, you know, continues to signal that he's going to use this as a springboard for more retribution and for going after groups that he says funds radical left lunatics. I think it's mostly groups that fund his Democratic opponents is what he's talking about.
The one thing I will say about the president's remarks, he said about five different times, he remarked on how big the crowd was. And we know how much he admires big crowds. So that was the -- that was his big takeaway, that in, you know, in life and in death Charlie Kirk drew big crowds. I think he kind of missed the point.
BROWN: I wonder what you think, David Urban, you know, we heard from President Trump, but also Vice President J.D. Vance, who was widely believed to sort of take the mantle of the MAGA movement after Trump leaves office. Trump himself has mentioned that alongside, Marco Rubio as well. What did you think about those speeches?
URBAN: Yes. Listen, I think the rest of the day was remarkable in its lack of political nature. I was wondering, just to reflect back on President Trump speaking, I was wondering if he was standing there and he was thinking about his own -- the assassination attempt on his own life. You know, he's standing behind in that very secure arena. Everyone had to go through a magnetometer to get in, and yet he was still standing behind bulletproof glass up there on the stage.
So I thought he might have been more reflective than he was. But everybody else's speeches, I think, were right on the money. The vice president's, the secretary of state's, all the other people who spoke during the day, I think nailed it in terms of why they were there. This was a -- this was a memorial service. It was -- it was like going to church and it was -- they were appropriate. They weren't as political. They were about healing, about Charlie Kirk's faith, about, you know, the movement that he built and how he wove his faith into that movement. And I thought they were -- they were right on point.
[19:30:00]
SANCHEZ: David Axelrod, we've been speaking about the legacy of Charlie Kirk, and I've heard from critics going into this event who make the case that memorializing Charlie Kirk, without acknowledging, the nature of his rhetoric at times divisive, offensive, often called racist, misogynist, et cetera. I wonder how you wrestle with the idea that he is someone who is undoubtedly influential in American culture, and that he certainly had a right to be a firebrand and to say what he felt that that right is enshrined in our Constitution, but also that much of what he said really angered a lot of people.
AXELROD: Yes, look he was a major figure really, in American politics as well as culture. I mean, he did make a decisive difference in bringing out a lot of young people and changing the equation of the last election. And he has made an impact on campuses across the country. It's also true that he has said some things that, are deeply offensive to a lot of people. But I guess two things, one is, he didn't deserve to die. No one in this country should die for the speeches they make and that is a fundamental tenet of our democracy.
So, this wasn't just a tragedy for his family and his followers, it was a tragedy for the country because it was an assault on one of our most sacred principles. And so, I think today is a day to show some grace. There'll be plenty of days we can have this discussion on many other days. I have many views about some of the things that he said. I disagreed with many of the things he said, but I did agree with him that freedom of speech is a fundamental right of our country and our democracy. And it's, you know, at a time when there are others, the President on down who want to silence critics, who want to silence those who raise questions about what he's doing.
They should remember that the reason we have a First Amendment is because the founding fathers wanted to have they wanted citizens to know what was going on in their own government. They wanted that ferment. They wanted that dialogue. And, we can't lose that. And, you know, so on that, I agree with Charlie Kirk and I think that his death was a tragedy.
BROWN: Certainly he's influential. Go ahead.
URBAN: Yes, I was going to say, up until his last moments, I mean, our colleague and friend Van Jones was not getting, you know, had a big disagreement publicly with Charlie Kirk. And we've heard, you know, Van come out and say that Charlie Kirk reached out to him the night before his death and said, Van, look, you know, we shouldn't argue about this. Let's meet and discuss this in a civilized, rational way as two gentlemen.
So, right up until his death, he was taking a hot political topics and being willing to sit down and debate them. And that's what we need more of, not less of and I'm hopeful that this Charlie Kirk's death means one thing, that we will have more deliberate discussions and less, you know, less yelling at one another.
BROWN: Yes and something that is undeniable is he was influential in the conservative movement. And President Trump and Donald Trump, Jr. have credited Charlie Kirk with President Trump's win in many ways by pulling in the younger voters, especially men. I'm curious what you think about, how this organization will move forward, David, under Erika Kirk's stewardship now?
URBAN: Listen, that will be the challenge here. You'll see, we'll see how influential Charlie Kirk is in the next decade is some of these young people in high school who are signing up, who may not have heard of Charlie Kirk, but now are watching his videos. I think it's going to be very impactful in the next two years and the next three years, four years, five years, I think it has, you know, really stirred up a lot of faith in America that shows that people it's okay to be faithful. It's okay to have a strong Christian belief. You're not going to be a freak on your college campus. You're not going to be looked at askance.
So, I think it's a very positive move. You'll see a lot more of that in America. I think, coming out in these college campuses. And I think that'll show up in the ballot box. They're going to get registered to vote, and they'll turn out in record numbers. That's what I think the President Trump and the Republican Party is looking for.
SANCHEZ: David Axelrod. Go ahead --
AXELROD: Well, I just want to comment on what David Urban just said, you know, again, I think this is a day of remembrance and memorial and mourning. So, it feels, you know, a little off key to be talking about this, but the fact is that you can see from the things that people were saying, not today, but other days, that the Republican Party sees this tragedy as also an opportunity to deal with a problem they have, which is that a lot of these young people who came out to vote for Donald Trump in the last election don't generally participate in midterm elections.
And, I think you're going to see him you know, use this and organize that, you know, this tragedy used as an organizing tool among some of those voters to try and bring them out. And, you know, we'll see if that -- if it materializes that way, if it works. But clearly, that, I think is something that, if they're being honest, a lot of the Republican strategists are thinking.
[19:35:49]
BROWN: All right, David Urban, David Axelrod, great to see you both. Thank you for your analysis, we appreciate it.
And now, to the third, David -- David Chalian. It is interesting because throughout the themes where this is a revival and a lot of the speakers talked about how Charlie Kirk is now a martyr that its immortal.
And it is true that before his death, a large swath of Americans didn't know who Charlie Kirk was. Now, likely they do because of this. And the question is how his legacy will continue in the conservative movement, like he was talking about.
CHALIAN: Yes, I mean, right, where David Axelrod left off, one immediate practical way that it could that will be on the lookout to see if his legacy has continued impact on the movement is just that keeping those folks that he brought into the process, young people specifically, to see if they can remain engaged in the process. If that does happen for conservatives, that will be a huge part of Charlie Kirk's legacy.
I do like that you, reference Pam, the revival piece of this, because you know, you heard the Vice--President say in his remarks that he's never said, Jesus Christ invoked Jesus Christ publicly as much as he has in the last two weeks in his public life. I do think Charlie Kirk's faith and Erika Kirk's faith was so central. I think that probably more than anything else, is what kept all of these speakers pretty much on the same page because that was so hugely a part of who they were, how Charlie Kirk lived his life, how Erika Kirk lives hers, it is so fundamental to them.
And so, the coursing through of Christianity, through all the remarks, I think was helpful organizing principle for everybody that was getting up there to speak today. And I think it's that is probably one of the greatest tributes to Charlie Kirk that was paid today, because I think that kept everything sort of on course.
HOLMES: Not just the way they live their life, but also what he encouraged of other people. We heard multiple people saying that every day he would send certain people Bible verses via text message that he often talked about the role of God in his life with others, encouraged them to be more steeped in faith.
And I thought that was really interesting, that part of Vance's speech as well, where he acknowledged that, you know, he just gave this very, religious speech and tone and that it was really the most that he'd spoke about religion in years and was because of Charlie Kirk.
And I think, going into this, if you talk to anyone who is close to Charlie Kirk, the family, the orbit, a lot of them really do fundamentally believe that his death has some kind of religious component to it. Talking about the text that went to Stephen Miller, I was told by people close to Charlie they believe that was a sign that they do need to look into these different policies, talking about how this was for a cause for the greater good, talking about him like he was a martyr. That's not just things that they're saying, you know, in public. It's also things that privately I have witnessed over the last 11 days, people become more steeped in their faith because of this event.
SANCHEZ: Let's go ahead and step back and listen to a montage of sound. What we've heard tonight from Glendale, Arizona. These are the speakers memorializing Charlie Kirk.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TULSI GABBARD, DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE: If you feel afraid or lost, confused, not sure exactly what to do, don't be. God says don't be afraid. I am with you. I will strengthen you and help you.
Now is the time for us to step into the arena and to stand as warriors for freedom and truth and fight.
PETE HEGSETH, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF WAR SECRETARY: There is a God, and as Charlie would say, it is not us. We're sinners saved only by grace in need of the Gospel. You see, we always did need less government. But what Charlie understood and infused into his movement is we also needed a lot more God.
J.D. VANCE (R), VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Charlie knew that we were all children of God. He knew deep down the truth of Scripture, and from that confidence, everything else flowed. That unshakable belief in the Gospel led him to see differences in opinion, not as battlefields to conquer, but as way stations in the pursuit of truth.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[19:40:41]
SANCHEZ: Just some of what we heard tonight in State Farm Stadium. Xochitl, I wonder, when you reflect on everything that we heard today, what most stands out to you?
HINOJOSA: Well, I think that we haven't talked a lot about -- we've talked some about free speech, but I think that coupling free speech with what Trump wants to do to some of these organizations, I think some of that contradicts each other, and I think it will be interesting to see over the next few weeks, one of the things that Trump wants you to Justice Department for is to go after organizations that potentially support Democrats.
We don't know what lefty organizations he's talking about. As you mentioned, they were not involved, and there's no evidence that they were involved in the killing of Charlie Kirk, but he wants to silence these organizations. And I think that what we saw this last week is conservatives really speaking out when Pam Bondi said that she was going to start going after hate speech.
And to be honest with you, targeting these organizations, targeting the media, all of these things goes at this free speech, goes at the First Amendment. And so, I think it will be interesting what Trump wants to do and how his base will react to it. Because I do ultimately think that this goes after one of their core values and what Charlie Kirk cared about, which was going out, being able to have a debate regardless of, you know, and with whoever he wanted, wherever and what Trump's doing is the opposite of what Charlie Kirk stands for.
BROWN: So, then what would you say to that, Shermichael, how do you bridge the gap as a conservative with people on the other side of the spectrum, when you have the President giving a at times a divisive speech like this tonight.
SINGLETON: I think divisive is subjective. Personally, I'm just being honest.
BROWN: Sure, I'll just, I'll be more specific when he's talking about me said the radical left lunatics.
SINGLETON: I think we're talking earlier about investigating extremism. Presumably the President was talking specifically about people on the left. I do think that we have an issue with radicalism in our country, and I'm not opposed to investigating why, particularly among young men we're seeing more teeter in a direction that I don't think if you're Democrat or Republican, it wouldn't matter, I think we could all agree that our young men are struggling, and we should investigate that. What are the roots for that? And how do we resolve that? That said, I think the through line, though, about Charlie's spirituality, his faith, being a Christian was really, really important.
We talked a lot about revival being used by many of the speakers over and over and over again, and I think that was important in a lot of ways, because what it signals to the individuals that were present, but also to many conservatives around the country, is that this is a moment for Conservatives to come together.
This is a moment to focus on what Charlie dedicated ten years of his life building Turning Point USA to do, and that was to get more young people involved in conservative politics, register more conservative voters in general, and ultimately win elections because he was at his nature, at his core, a political guy who had a certain set of values that I believe his wife and many of his friends would like to continue to see move forward.
SANCHEZ: Everyone, please stand by. We have CNN Presidential historian Tim Naftali with us to help us put everything that we heard tonight into context.
Tim, I wonder, given the many hours of speeches that you heard tonight, what message most stood out to you?
TIM NAFTALI, CNN PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN: Well, I share my colleagues feeling that the most moving and powerful and graceful speech was that of Erika Kirk and I feel that she did us, Americans -- all Americans a great service in talking about forgiveness for the murderer of our of her husband. The issue of forgiveness and pushing away hate has been part of every great statement by our presidents in the past at a time like this.
You know, we've experienced the most nationally shocking political assassination, I would argue, since the 1960s. And in the 60s, our great leaders all talked about the importance of love and compassion and understanding. Erika Kirk stood in the place of those presidents and leaders today. She spoke with the passion and the understanding that Lyndon Johnson used, after Martin Luther King was assassinated -- Robert Kennedy used the same kind of language after Robert Kennedy was assassinated.
[19:45:18]
You know, it became pretty clear that, John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy's assassins had political ideologies. But our country did not respond to finding out that Lee Harvey Oswald was a communist by having a second wave of McCarthyism, and Americans did not respond to the fact that Sirhan Sirhan had killed Robert Kennedy because of Robert Kennedy's commitment to Israel we didn't have a crackdown on Arab Americans following that, in both times, the response was the response we heard from Erika Kirk tonight.
And so, I cannot -- let me just say how grateful I am to her for her courage and her power tonight in making sure that the Christian message of forgiveness and of compassion was the most powerful way to memorialize her husband's mission.
What the President did following her was not in the tradition of American presidents or of American healers in chiefs. It was -- its spirit, it's the parts that were written for him, echoed some of that. But when he digressed to what he really cared about, he did not speak the language that his predecessors spoke in trying to heal a worried, scared country in the 1960s. And we desperately need more language like that from The White House at this desperately tough time.
BROWN: If you would just put this into historical context, how unique it is for so many administration officials, including the President of the United States, to attend a memorial service like this in this huge stadium, tens of thousands of people for a private citizen.
NAFTALI: It is a remarkable moment. Something to keep in mind -- when we have national funerals or national memorial services, this was a memorial service, they're usually for older people, people who have served had long, full lives and we are thanking them for their service. It is rare, and its especially sad when we have a service for someone who's was cut short -- whose life was cut short.
And, the fact that the entire -- most of the Cabinet, maybe all of the Cabinet and most of the leadership, congressional leadership of the Republican Party, was there among thousands of people, it is a sign of the importance that Mr. Kirk had for the second Trump administration. And it's a sign of their gratitude to him.
I noticed something else, too, which I'm sure many of the listeners did. Charlie Kirk, they all remembered as being extremely kind. And indeed, I got the sense from a number of them that he was a much kinder soul. Much kinder fighter for their ideas than some of them are. And it was really interesting to hear the President debate Erika Kirk and Charlie in heaven about how to deal with those you disagree with.
In listening to the speeches, I could hear some echoing Mr. Kirk's commitment to persuasion or evangelism. People like Secretary Rubio spoke that way. RFK, Jr. spoke in those terms. And of course, Erika Kirk did, and then there were others that clearly were not that interested in speaking to those that they didn't agree with.
So, I can see us within that movement as it moves forward, a debate over how best to remember and move forward. Mr. Kirk's mission, and there's definitely disagreement among the leadership of MAGA over this. I hope they choose Erika Kirk's approach and Secretary of State Rubio's approach. It'll be better for the country.
BROWN: All right, Tim Naftali, thank you so much for coming on, we appreciate it.
I want to bring in CNN chief media analyst Brian Stelter, who joins us now along with CNN media analyst Sara Fischer. I just want to talk about Turning Point USA and the broader question of will the young conservative movement progress or slow down without Charlie Kirk? What do you think, Brian?
BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: I think, number one, Erika Kirk's incredibly emotional comments, they're going to be studied, they're going to be replayed, they're going to be remixed, they're going to be watched by tens of millions of people, even those who didn't watch live tonight. These are going to be shared all over social media. And I think it is her words more than President Trump's tonight that will be remembered and replayed.
[19:50:21]
You know, she talked about her husband wanting to save the lost boys of the west. She said the young men who feel they have no direction, no purpose, no faith, no reason to live. I thought that was really powerful and that is not a partisan statement. She's not expressing necessarily a conservative concern. Liberals, moderates, so many people, academic scholars, so many people are concerned about what's happening with young men. And I could see that being a real organizing principle going ahead for her group.
If you log on to the Turning Point USA website right now, you'll see lots of messages about donations encouraging people to donate to the cause. You'll also see lots of messaging about -- we are all Charlie Kirk. A lot of merchandise people can purchase and the big next step forward for the organization as it tries to raise more money is to launch more chapters on more college campuses and more high schools.
They've had so many inbound messages of interest, but now it's going to be actually about putting that into action in the weeks and months to come.
SANCHEZ: Sara, I wonder what you're seeing about the reaction to these speeches online, especially given the way that Charlie Kirk utilized social media to reach young people?
SARA FISCHER, CNN MEDIA ANALYST: We're seeing very positive reactions to these speeches, particularly to Brian's point, Erika Kirk's speech. And one of the big things I'm taking away from this is that today was actually not mostly about a free speech fight. Most of these speeches were about Charlie's commitment to family and faith, as well as other core personal values like reaching out to young people. And I think that's why today does not feel very divisive, because right now, as you know, in the wake of everything happening, free speech is such a divisive issue.
Today was actually not a focus on that, and it was a focus on things that everyone can relate to. Family, God, thinking a lot about how you're going to make an impact on young people. I thought it was very touching that Erika Kirk mentioned how Charlie, 13 years ago was just a young kid running around on the Hill trying to get his message out there. Like we could actually envision what Charlie was like as a young kid.
The kids that he's now trying or he was trying to influence. And so, the reaction today, Boris, has been powerful. It's an optimistic. Of course, there are certain people who don't agree with Charlie Kirk's views. They're always going to have things to say, but overwhelmingly, this feels like a very solemn moment for the country.
BROWN: There was also a very surprising moment today, and that was Donald Trump and Elon Musk seeing each other for what we think might be the first time since their very public spat. There they are right there. And it is notable because Charlie Kirk tried to play the role of mediator as our Kristen Holmes has been talking about all throughout the night that that was really he believed that the two of these men together just were such powerhouses and a force multiplier, and he tried to bring them together, right. And so, it was truly a remarkable moment, Brian.
STELTER: When that breakup was going down over the spring, Kirk was on his podcast saying, we've got to find a way forward, bring these two men back together, bring this, you know, reunite this friendship. We haven't seen that happen for a couple of months, though, you know, Musk flirted with launching his own political party. He's made all sorts of noise in that kind of direction. Well, today, and it does seem Musk has been brought back with Trump, partly because of his concerns about free speech.
Musk was there. He was sitting with Trump. He posted a picture of them together in the box with the words "For Charlie." So Elon Musk is explicitly saying that he was there today with the President reuniting with the President for Charlie. We, also heard musk interviewed afterwards by a different network, saying he was showing people the light.
Kirk was showing people the light, and he was killed by the dark. That is going to be one of the takeaways, of course, from today, all of the rhetoric about good versus evil, and for critics who have charged Kirk with promoting a form of Christian nationalism, I think they're going to feel even more emboldened by that concern tomorrow and in the days ahead. But what we heard today was Christianity as a foundation for politics, a foundation for conservative politics, and for people who remember the religious right.
You know, the phrase about the religious right in the 90s or the 2000? We're seeing something different emerging now on the right. I know you've covered this, Pamela, Christian nationalists in the country. I don't think Kirk would have identified with that phrase himself, certainly his critics did. But all of the language around Christianity today, that's something that, frankly, I want to I want to hear a lot more from religious experts in the days to come about what this means for the Republican Party. And will President Trump, for example, speak in more religious ways going forward?
SANCHEZ: Brian Stelter, Sara Fisher, thank you so much for the analysis, appreciate it.
FISCHER: Thank you.
SANCHEZ: And, David, as we get closer to wrapping up tonight, how do you think this memorial for Charlie Kirk is going to be remembered?
[19:55:02]
CHALIAN: I think it's going to be remembered first and foremost for this unacceptable, horrific political assassination that took place that brought this movement together to mourn collectively, but to plot a path forward. And in that, I think it gets remembered, as everyone's been saying for Erika Kirk, who now assumes the mantle of leadership of this group and as I said earlier, I think it will be remembered for J.D. Vance's speech when he moves ahead with his political career.
SANCHEZ: Thank you so much for joining us tonight. I'm Boris Sanchez alongside Pamela Brown. "Real Time With Bill Maher" is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[20:00:00]
