President Donald Trump sent a message to his late friend Charlie Kirk with an engraving on the back of the Presidential Medal of Freedom that included his name and a cross.
During a ceremony on Tuesday at the White House in the Rose Garden, Trump posthumously awarded Kirk the nation's highest civilian honor when he presented the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Erika Kirk. Kirk would have turned 32 on Tuesday if he hadn't been killed by an assassin while on the campus of Utah Valley University on September 10.
Charlie Kirk was assassinated in the prime of his life for speaking the truth, living his faith, & relentlessly fighting for America.
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) October 15, 2025
That is why today President Trump posthumously awarded Charlie Kirk our nation's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/Bqd1hr9byX
Speaking later to Fox News' Jesse Watters about the ceremony, Benny Johnson, pal of the late founder of Turning Point USA, told the host that Trump clearly understands the "power that Charlie Kirk brought to the advancement of the Kingdom of Christ, because Erika Kirk showed me something remarkable at the White House right before coming over here to do your show."
🚨NEW: Benny Johnson UNVEILS Charlie Kirk’s PRESIDENTIAL MEDAL OF FREEDOM has a CRUCIFIX ENGRAVED in the back… the FIRST EVER 🚨@BennyJohnson: “This is a historic moment — the first time religious iconography has appeared on this award — and it was done in honor of Charlie… pic.twitter.com/GzLm4iU4Eh
— Jesse Watters (@JesseBWatters) October 15, 2025
"She opened up the medal of freedom….and then she turned it around back, and what you can see here on the back is the first Christian cross…ever engraved on to a Medal of Freedom given by the president," Johnson said.
"This is a historic moment. The first time that religious iconography has ever made it on to this award," he added. "And it is done in honor of Charlie Kirk. And what Erika told me was that this is for the advancement of what Charlie Kirk and his work are for the Kingdom of Christ. And the president understood that so profoundly that he gave him this great honor."
INCREDIBLE: For the First Time in American History A Christian Cross has been Engraved onto the Presidential Medal of Freedom in honor of Charlie Kirk.
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) October 14, 2025
Erika Kirk wanted to share this with you as a testament of Charlie’s powerful work advancing The Kingdom of Jesus Christ.
✝️🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/oOetxMzkqQ
The host pointed out that it has been interesting to see that since Kirk's murder, the president has spoken about Heaven more than he ever has, even after that fateful day one year ago, when Trump almost died at the hands of an assassin, had he not turned his head at that exact moment.
Doing some research, we couldn't find any other example of a cross being engraved on the back of a Medal of Freedom, so that is truly incredible.
As RedState reported, the ceremony for Kirk at the White House earlier in the day was a touching and emotional one.
SEE: Coffee Shop That Faced Backlash After Honoring Charlie Kirk Has Bad News for the Haters
Charlie Kirk's Still Trying to Heal Country After His Murder With Final Quote in Last Interview
President Trump talked about the great patriot we lost and why he wanted to honor him with this award.
"Charlie was a champion in every way, he didn't like losing...He loved this country & that's why it's my it’s my privilege to posthumously award Charles James Kirk, our nations highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom." — @POTUS 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/e60VpdOiHQ
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) October 14, 2025
"Charlie was a champion in every way; he didn't like losing…He was assassinated in the prime of his life for boldly speaking the truth, for living his faith and relentlessly fighting for a better and stronger America," Trump said. "He loved this country and that's why it's my privilege to posthumously award Charles James Kirk, our nation's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom."
When it was Erika's turn, she spoke about her husband, his legacy, and even told President Trump, after all the years she struggled to come up with the perfect birthday gift, that he had just given Charlie, with the medal, the greatest gift he could ever have.
"Honestly, President Trump, I have spent 7.5 years trying to find the perfect birthday gift for Charlie...but now I can say with confidence, Mr. President, that you have given him the best birthday gift he could ever have." ❤️ - Erika Kirk. pic.twitter.com/ogCWdJXBar
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) October 14, 2025
"Honestly, President Trump, I have spent 7.5 years trying to find the perfect birthday gift for Charlie...but now I can say with confidence, Mr. President, that you have given him the best birthday gift he could ever have."
Following the ceremony, the White House sent out a release calling October 14, 2025, a "National Day of Remembrance for Charlie Kirk."
Editor’s Note: The Schumer Shutdown is here. Rather than put the American people first, Chuck Schumer and the radical Democrats forced a government shutdown for healthcare for illegals. They own this.
Help us continue to report the truth about the Schumer Shutdown. Use promo code POTUS47 to get 74% off your VIP membership.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member