Journalism of Courage
US President Donald Trump and other prominent American figures are heading to Arizona for a public memorial service and funeral for 31-year-old conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was killed at a Utah university two weeks ago. The service is scheduled to take place on Sunday morning in Arizona amid tight security.
The event is being organized by Turning Point USA (TPUSA), a nonprofit organization co-founded by Charlie Kirk, and the service will take place at State Farm Stadium in Glendale which could be attended by over 100,000 people, BBC reported. Several members of the Trump administration would be present in Glendale, a suburb of Phoenix.
TPUSA has said security will be heightened at the venue and a TSA-level screening could be conducted. Kirk was shot in the neck on September 10 while he was speaking at an event on a Utah university campus that has triggered the debate surrounding the political violence in America.
The memorial service and funeral for Kirk will be held in a stadium which is home to NFL’s Arizona Cardinals and has a capacity of 63,000 people, which can be further extended to 73,000 for large events. If the number of attendees overflow, then the nearby Desert Diamond Arena can accommodate about 19,000 people, The Independent reported.
Apart from President Trump, those expected to speak at Kirk’s funeral include: Kirk’s widow Erika, who is now the CEO of TPUSA, Vice President JD Vance, president’s eldest son Donald Trump Jr., political commentator Tucker Carlson, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth among others.
Attendees of the memorial service have been encouraged to register for tickets, and admission is free that would be on a first come, first served basis. The funeral will be live streamed on Charlie Kirk’s Rumble account along with a live broadcast on a few news outlets.
(with inputs from BBC, The Independent)
