The historic memorial service for Charlie Kirk mixed testimonials to his faith with his impact in politics and culture.
It drew an estimated 100,000 supporters to State Farm Stadium and the surrounding area in Glendale.
Here are five things that stood out after a daylong internationally watched event.
Turning Point isn’t going away
Early on, Rob McCoy, Kirk’s pastor, said aloud perhaps the most vital subtext to the event: “Turning Point is alive and well!”
Pastor Rob McCoy speaks during a memorial service for slain conservative commentator Charlie Kirk at State Farm Stadium, in Glendale, Ariz., on Sept. 21, 2025.
The observation drew thunderous applause inside the stadium, but also put the wider political world on notice.
For Democrats and liberals, the raw energy — and occasionally fearful anger — that Kirk’s supporters displayed is something that the political left must overcome to retake the House in next year’s midterms and the White House after that.
Erika Kirk, newly installed as the CEO of Turning Point USA, promised that campus-based events, such as the one Charlie Kirk was doing when he was assassinated, would continue.
Turning Point USA urged donations to the organization in lieu of flowers. It was not immediately clear how much money it has taken in since Kirk’s death, but it’s likely to further push the organization to the front of conservative strategy and messaging.
Religion is playing a big role in GOP politics
Vice President JD Vance said he used to shy away from discussing faith in his remarks, but since Kirk’s death, he has done so more than he ever did in his political career.
Long before the memorial service, Kirk’s friends and supporters cited his religious faith as an admirable and central principle of his life. Nearly every one of those who spoke Sept. 21 at the event cited his strong faith.
The testimonials were apt for a memorial service, on a Sunday no less. But it could offer a window into a values-based theme that Republicans may try to replicate as they turn to the midterm elections.
The appeals on stage spoke forthrightly about God, usually in explicitly Christian terms. Erika Kirk, in particular, spoke at length about the roles of marriage.
She had what seems likely the most powerful moment of the five-hour service when she tearfully forgave the gunman who killed Charlie Kirk.
“The answer to hate is not hate. It’s always love,” Erika Kirk said. “The world needs Turning Point USA. … It needs something that leads people away from hell.”
With a full stadium looking on and millions watching on screens around the world, the energetic reception of that message could be seen as a template for preserving the GOP majorities in Congress.
Charlie Kirk memorial service: Police estimate over 90,000 were in attendance
Anger not far from the surface
It’s understandable that Kirk’s violent demise would generate anger from those who knew him best.
That anger was repeatedly cast beyond Tyler Robinson, the Utah man charged with slaying Kirk whose name went unsaid throughout the day’s services.
Instead, far-right influencer Jack Posobiec and Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff, repeatedly spoke in vague terms of “enemies” and the imagery of combat in a context that seemed unmistakably political.
Miller, for example, spoke of their tears turning to “fire in our hearts.”
“That fire burns with a righteous fury that our enemies cannot comprehend or understand,” he said. Miller later said the same enemies can’t comprehend their strength, determination and passion.
Posobiec, pledged to “stand and fight” for Kirk’s memory as he clutched a rosary on stage.
He was the only speaker to invoke Democrats and cast them — and others — as Kirk’s opponent.
“Charlie was my commanding officer. And we will never, ever let the left, the media or the Democrats forget the name of Charlie Kirk,” Posobiec said.
Kirk called a martyr and a prophet
Speakers at Kirk’s memorial spoke about him as a martyr, a prophet and a figure who will change the course of history. At times, they compared his mission to Jesus.
“He’s bigger now than ever before, and he’s eternal,” Trump said in his remarks.
The president called Kirk a martyr for free speech and said the gunshot that killed him was an attack on the nation.
“Charlie’s message, like Christ’s, was an invitation,” said the president’s son, Donald Trump Jr.. “No matter your past, no matter how you voted, no matter where you come from, this movement is your home.”
Donald Trump Jr. speaks during a memorial service for slain conservative commentator Charlie Kirk at State Farm Stadium on Sept. 21, 2025.
Turning Point spokesman Andrew Kolvet, a longtime friend of Kirk, said he views Kirk as a “prophet” because he was promoting Christian values.
“I see it now clearly that Charlie Kirk was a prophet. Not the fortune-telling kind that can predict the future, but the biblical kind,” said Turning Point spokesperson Andrew Kolvet, a longtime friend of Kirk.
Tucker Carlson, too, remembered Kirk as a Christian evangelist who was “bringing the gospel to the country.” The conservative commentator and former Fox News host compared Kirk to Jesus, saying they were “doing the thing the people in charge hate most, which is calling for them to repent.”
Conservative commentator Benny Johnson echoed a similar sentiment, saying that “the power of martyrdom speaks through Charlie.”
Jack Posobiec, a far-right influencer who was friends with Kirk, said that he believes Kirk’s killing will become a pivotal moment in American history.
“A century from now, when they write of the two or three pivotal moments that led to the saving of western civilization, they will write that the sacrifice of Charles James Kirk was the turning point,” Posobiec said.
Security measures reflect turbulent times
After Kirk was killed by an assassin’s bullet, steps to mitigate the risk of more political violence were on full display at State Farm Stadium.
The president, who survived two assassination attempts last year, delivered his remarks from a podium shielded by bulletproof glass. When Trump sat in a box to observe the memorial from above, it was also shielded by glass and a group of armed guards stood nearby.
Roads leading to the stadium were blocked off well in advance of the event. Inside, there was a heavy security presence in the stadium. Venue security guards, state police and the Secret Service were among the agents patrolling the halls. The venue enforced a strict no-bags policy for attendees.
Despite the thousands of people who converged on the stadium, the event went smoothly with few hiccups.
“The fact that we pulled this off in 7 days is a miracle only Charlie Kirk can deliver,” said Stacy Sheridan, who worked with Kirk at Turning Point USA.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Turning Point isn’t going away: 5 takeaways from Kirk memorial
