President Donald Trump announced last week that he plans to present the Presidential Medal of Freedom, posthumously, to Charlie Kirk, following Kirk’s assassination last week.
Over the weekend, Trump announced that he will present the medal at one of Kirk’s memorial services, which Trump described as “the big one.” Presumably, this refers to the announced memorial service that will take place at State Farm Stadium, home of the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals.
“He was a friend to a lot of people in the room, and he was a really special guy,” Trump said of Kirk. “So I’m going to be going to Charlie’s—I guess you’d call it a funeral. There’s a small one. I said can we do the big one because we’re going to give him the Presidential Medal of Honor.”
Trump: “He was a friend to a lot of people in the room, and he was a really special guy. So I’m going to be going to Charlie’s—I guess you’d call it a funeral. There’s a small one. I said can we do the big one because we’re going to give him the Presidential Medal of Honor.” pic.twitter.com/oQ1r2GS03f
— PatriotTakes 🇺🇸 (@patriottakes) September 14, 2025
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The stadium funeral will take place on September 21, which is next Sunday. Trump’s reference to “the small one” likely refers to a private funeral, although no details about timing or location have been announced for that.
The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the nation’s highest civilian honor, which the president has the discretion to present to whomever he wishes.
Trump presented the award to 24 people during his first term, including Elvis Presley, Babe Ruth, Justice Antonin Scalia, Mariano Rivera, Tiger Woods and Rush Limbaugh, with Limbaugh receiving the honor shortly before his death. In his second term, Trump has announced that the honor will go to Kirk, as well as former Mayor Rudy Giuliani.
Fun fact: The Presidential Medal of Freedom has been turned down *three times*.
All three happened during the Trump administration (Bill Belichick, Dolly Parton x2). https://t.co/lxjkoqVDRX
— Blake Dobyns (@BlakeDobyns) January 4, 2025
Two prominent people, former NFL coach Bill Belichick and country legend Dolly Parton, reportedly declined the awards from Trump during his first term.
Photo courtesy of the Political Tribune media library.
