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Charlie Kirk memorial service set to draw thousands of mourners, including Trump

The funeral for Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk is expected to draw more than 100,000 people on Sunday, including President Donald Trump and several administration officials. National political figures, policy leaders, and friends of Kirk are set to speak Sunday to honor the late conservative activist who was killed by a gunman at Utah […]

The funeral for Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk is expected to draw more than 100,000 people on Sunday, including President Donald Trump and several administration officials.

National political figures, policy leaders, and friends of Kirk are set to speak Sunday to honor the late conservative activist who was killed by a gunman at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10.

Turning Point USA will hold Kirk’s memorial service at 2 p.m. Eastern in Glendale, Arizona. The main event will take place in State Farm Stadium, which can hold up to 73,000 people, with indoor overflow reserved at Desert Diamond Arena, which holds 19,000 people. The event will also be streamed live online and on TV.


Local police have estimated over 100,000 people will attend the event in person. Local, state, and federal law enforcement officers are partnering with the Secret Service to secure the grounds of the memorial service in Glendale.

A makeshift memorial grows in size at the Turning Point USA headquarters.
A makeshift memorial grows in size at the Turning Point USA headquarters after the shooting death at a Utah college last Wednesday of Charlie Kirk, the 31-year-old founder and CEO of the organization, Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

The Department of Homeland Security has designated the memorial service as a Special Event Assessment Rating Level 1, putting the event at the same high-security level as the Super Bowl. The heightened security measures include a no-bag policy.

The stadium seating is first-come, first-serve, and over 200,000 people registered online for the event, according to Washington Post.

Federal agencies said they were “tracking several threats of unknown credibility” but that there is no evidence of a credible plot against the event. The FBI, Department of Homeland Security, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Secret Service issued the event security memo obtained by ABC News.

An armed and “suspicious” man carrying a gun and knife was detained by local Arizona law enforcement at the site of the funeral on Friday.

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WHAT TO EXPECT FROM CHARLIE KIRK’S MEMORIAL SERVICE

President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and widow Erika Kirk will be the main speakers of Sunday’s memorial service. White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, War Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are several of the senior administration officials who are set to take the stage as well.

Turning Point USA listed the dress code for the event as “Sunday best,” encouraging red, white, and blue wear.

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