Charlie Kirk to get US’s highest honour after being killed at college rally: Trump

President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that he will posthumously award Republican activist Charlie Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor, after Kirk was fatally shot at a college campus.

“Charlie was a giant of his generation, a champion of liberty, and an inspiration to millions and millions of people,” Trump said. “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.”

Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, a nonprofit dedicated to instilling conservative values in young people on high school and college campuses, played a prominent role in the Republican Party. He had fostered a close relationship with Trump and his family and participated in the presidential transition process.

The 31-year-old activist was fatally shot on Wednesday afternoon while hosting a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University in what authorities believe was a targeted attack.

Law enforcement officials are still searching for the person responsible for the killing. The motive remains unknown, though many conservatives suspect it was an act of political violence.