Charlie Kirk memorial latest updates: Trump and Vance to join tens of thousands of people at service for rightwing activist

Funeral expected to start at 11am local time; Erika Kirk, US president and vice-president among the expected speakers

Christian nationalists in the US are positioning Charlie Kirk as a martyr for their movement, one that has grown in popularity and whose rise was intertwined with Kirk’s own political ascent.

After Kirk’s killing, his widow, Erika Kirk, wrote on social media that the “world is evil”, but God “so good”. The “sound of this widow weeping [echoes] throughout this world like a battle cry,” she said. “They have no idea what they just ignited within this wife.”

“Last week, we brought my dear friend Charlie Kirk home one last time. Today, we return to Arizona to remember Charlie and honor his sacrifice. May he eternally rest in peace, and may God watch over Erika and their beautiful children.”

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