Trump Awards Posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom to Conservative Activist Charlie Kirk

Trump and Erika Kirk, Charlie Kirk's widow, participate in a Medal of Freedom Ceremony in Washington.

Washington:

US President Donald Trump bestowed America's highest civilian honor on assassinated ally Charlie Kirk, calling him a "martyr for truth and freedom" during Tuesday's ceremony.

Trump presented the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Kirk's emotional widow, comparing the 31-year-old conservative activist to historical figures like Socrates, Saint Peter, Abraham Lincoln, and Martin Luther King.

During the solemn White House ceremony, the 79-year-old president pledged to intensify his crackdown against what he terms radical left-wing groups, a campaign initiated following Kirk's shooting.

"In the wake of Charlie's assassination, our country must have absolutely no tolerance for this radical left violence, extremism and terror," Trump declared to an audience of conservative luminaries.

"We're done with the angry mobs, and we're not going to let our cities be unsafe."

Kirk, a father of two, was fatally shot last month at a Utah college campus. His death triggered widespread mourning among conservatives and prompted Trump to deploy National Guard troops to several Democrat-governed cities.

The ceremony attendees included visiting Argentinian President Javier Milei, a libertarian firebrand, alongside numerous prominent US conservative media personalities.

Erika Kirk expressed gratitude to Trump for interrupting a Middle East peace trip to attend the medal ceremony, which coincided with what would have been her husband's 32nd birthday.

"You have given him the best birthday gift he could ever have," she remarked, wiping away tears and pausing occasionally to regain composure.

She noted that Kirk, who built substantial followings on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube to promote conservative viewpoints, "would probably have run for president" had he not been killed.

Tyler Robinson, 22, has been charged with Charlie Kirk's murder. He faces the death penalty if convicted.