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Security is tight amid turmoil after Kirk's assassination

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Trump speech to cast Kirk as conservative martyr

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Stadium has hosted Super Bowls; organizers arrange

overflow area

By Nathan Layne, Nandita Bose and Joseph Ax

GLENDALE, Arizona, Sept 21 (Reuters) - Tens of thousands

of mourners dressed in red, white and blue turned out to honor

Charlie Kirk on Sunday at a memorial service in Arizona, where

his fellow conservatives praised him as an inspirational

Christian leader and vowed to carry on with the political

movement he started.

President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and several

cabinet members were scheduled to pay tribute to the charismatic

Kirk 11 days after he was assassinated during a campus event in

Utah.

The memorial, organized by Kirk's conservative youth advocacy

organization Turning Point USA, had the feel of a religious

revival mixed with a "Make America Great Again" political rally.

Conservative podcaster Benny Johnson credited Kirk with

helping him move past an addiction to alcohol to lead a more

moral, Christian life. Like many speakers, he echoed Kirk's

exhortation to young men to get married and have children.

"Did Charlie bring you closer to God?" Johnson asked,

drawing a resounding "yes" from the crowd.

Stephen Miller, the powerful White House adviser, vowed to

use Kirk's death as a galvanizing force to finish the work he

began.

"We will carry Charlie and Erika in our heart every single

day, and fight that much harder because of what you did to us,"

Miller said. "You have no idea the dragon you have awakened. You

have no idea how determined we will be to save this

civilization, to save the West, to save the republic."

Christian rock music blared through loudspeakers and

pictures of Kirk were set on easels throughout the walkways of

State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. The arena, which

normally has a capacity of 63,000, appeared completely full.

Crowds of people, many wearing MAGA merchandise, had arrived

before dawn to secure seats inside the stadium, where they

encountered metal detectors amid tight security.

Trump, who was set to close the event with his remarks, has

credited Kirk with mobilizing young voters behind his campaign

last year. Civil rights groups criticized Kirk for rhetoric they

described as racist, anti-immigrant, transphobic and

misogynistic, while his backers say he was a defender of

conservative values and a champion of free speech.

Other speakers included Secretary of State Marco Rubio and

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, more evidence of Kirk's

political influence.

Kirk, 31, was killed with a single bullet as he answered an

audience member's question at a campus event in Utah organized

by Turning Point. A 22-year-old technical college student has

been charged with Kirk's murder, and investigators say he told

his romantic partner in text messages that he had killed Kirk

because he had "enough of his hate."

Kirk had two young children. His wife, Erika Kirk, was

elected the new chief executive of Turning Point in the wake of

his death and was expected to address the crowd on Sunday.

RISING FEARS OF VIOLENCE

His death has raised fears about the growing frequency of U.S.

political violence across the ideological spectrum, while also

deepening partisan divides.

Trump 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.

During her remarks, Tulsi Gabbard, the U.S. director of

national intelligence, tied Kirk's killing to what she described

as a historical pattern in which "political fanatics" eventually

turn to violence to defend their ideals.

"They kill and terrorize their opponents, hoping to silence

them," she said. "But in this evil that we have experienced -

that Charlie faced - their flawed ideology is exposed, because

by trying to silence Charlie, his voice is now louder than

ever."

Last week, Walt Disney's ( DIS ) ABC network abruptly pulled

late-night talk-show host Jimmy Kimmel off the air over comments

about Kirk's death that some conservatives said were offensive.

Hours before the suspension, Trump's head of the Federal

Communications Commission, Brendan Carr, threatened to punish

the network over Kimmel's words.

Regina Starr, 59, a semi-retired volunteer who helps care

for the elderly, said Kirk's defining trait was not his politics

or his role in founding Turning Point USA - it was his

unapologetic Christianity.

"He didn't try to shove it down people's throats," she said.

"He was just open. He shared the love of Jesus like he breathed

it - naturally, fearlessly. And that made him a target."