Was it a funeral or “the biggest Trump rally ever”? A report from Charlie Kirk’s memorial, where religious fervor fuelled an emboldened political agenda. Plus:

Antonia Hitchens
A staff writer covering politics.

Over the weekend, tens of thousands of people assembled in Arizona for the memorial of Charlie Kirk. On at least one flight into Phoenix, passengers sang “Amazing Grace” as they touched down at Sky Harbor airport. My plane from Washington, D.C., consisted almost entirely of people travelling to the memorial. On Sunday, as the sun rose outside State Farm Stadium, in Glendale, the memorial looked more like the biggest Trump rally ever. The day would end up melding politics and megachurch. The Christian rock started at 8 a.m. as people queued for concessions, and lyrics appeared on a jumbotron above the stage: “You take what the enemy meant for evil, and you turn it for good.” On the seats, instead of Trump signs, there were posters with an image of Charlie and a Bible verse—“Here I am Lord, send me”—and packs of tissues. Speakers insisted to the crowd that this was not a funeral but a spiritual revival.

The White House brought two planes full of officials, including President Trump, Vice-President Vance, and nearly the entire Cabinet. Elon Musk was there, too; he and Trump were photographed sitting side by side in Trump’s skybox, chatting amicably. On the floor, hundreds of people said “Hallelujah,” waving their hands or falling to their knees in prayer. Turning Point Action, the political arm of Kirk’s organization, recruited volunteers and registered voters; banners read “Charlie wants you to register to vote.” Tyler Bowyer, Turning Point’s C.O.O., made his way through the crowd. “This is new territory for the Republican Party,” he told me. “The fusion of Christ in our politics is changing the culture. It’s unifying everyone. This is our civil-rights movement.”

The memorial brought to mind the 2024 Republican National Convention. Trump had just survived an assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, and a crowd waited in Milwaukee to receive him as their nominee. Many were saying that he had been saved by God so he could save the country. Then, too, Lee Greenwood performed on a sparkly stage; there were prayers, chants of “U.S.A.!,” and remarks about God’s guiding hand. I remember wondering whether that energy could go on without Trump as the savior. In Glendale, Forgiato Blow, a MAGA rapper, told me, “They think we’re praising Trump like our God. Charlie showed me there’s more to life than this movement. He showed the country religion is needed.” He went on, “A mission can’t be won in four to eight years—it’s centuries.”

In size and intensity, Sunday was the most Trumpian event I’d ever been to, but for the first time the messianism wasn’t linked to Trump. His name barely came up, if at all, for the first six hours. It was Kirk being cast as a martyr and a prophet. His death was “not murder but sacrifice,” his friend Jack Posobiec said. It would save Western civilization. Donald Trump, Jr., wanted to expand the coalition that Kirk had built. “If you are not already seated at this table,” he said, “we have a seat prepared for you.” But, as usual, calls for unity were interspersed with attacks on the perceived enemy. “We will prevail over the forces of wickedness and evil,” Stephen Miller, the White House’s deputy chief of staff, said. “They cannot conceive of the army that they have arisen in all of us.” When Erika Kirk took the stage, she said that she forgave her husband’s assassin: “That was what Christ did, and is what Charlie would do.” Trump followed her. He spoke about elections rigged against him, “radical-left lunatics,” and how much he hates his political foes.

For more: read Jonathan Blitzer on how Trump is using Kirk’s death to attack free speech, and Kyle Chayka on the warped online world of Kirk and his alleged killer.

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P.S. Harry Styles traded his classic feather boa for running shoes at yesterday’s Berlin Marathon, finishing the race in a remarkable two hours and fifty-nine minutes. 🏃🏻