Security will be extremely tight, given Trump’s attendance as well as the ongoing political turmoil in the aftermath of Kirk’s death. A senior Department of Homeland Security official said the service had been given the agency's highest level security rating, reserved for "events of the highest national significance" such as the Super Bowl.
Kirk, 31, was assassinated by a single bullet on September 10 during a campus event in Utah. The 22-year-old suspected gunman has been charged with murder, and investigators say he told his romantic partner in text messages that he had killed Kirk because he had “enough of his hate.”
The killing has raised fears about the growing frequency of US political violence across the ideological spectrum, while also deepening partisan divides. Trump, a close ally of Kirk’s, has cited the murder in escalating his calls for a crackdown on his political opponents, including left-wing organizations that he has blamed for the shooting even though authorities have said the gunman acted alone.
Candles are placed next to a picture of Charlie Kirk during a vigil under the line ''In Memory of Charlie Kirk, for freedom, patriotism and justice'' in front of the Embassy of the United States in Berlin, Germany September 11, 2025. (credit: REUTERS/ANNEGRET HILSE)
Kimmel’s suspension has drawn objections from civil rights groups, Democrats and television and film writers, who say the Trump administration is using Kirk’s death as a pretext to stifle critical media in violation of the US Constitution’s free speech protections.
The roster of speakers at Sunday’s service, titled “Building a Legacy: Remembering Charlie Kirk,” demonstrates Kirk’s influence as the leader of the country’s biggest conservative youth organization.
In addition to Trump and Vance, who was personally close to Kirk, senior administration officials including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert Kennedy will address the crowd. Kirk’s widow, Erika, who was elected as Turning Point’s chief executive last week, is also scheduled to speak.
