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.