Charlie Kirk memorial updates: 'I forgive him,' widow Erika Kirk says of alleged shooter

Vice President JD Vance said "they tried to silence our dear friend Charlie Kirk" but at the conservative activist's memorial service, "we speak for Charlie louder than ever."

Vance said Kirk would "encourage me to be honest that evil walks among us" but he would want people to "focus on the good."

"America was his home and he was willing to die for it," Vance said.

Vance added that Kirk "exemplified kindness, courage and a commitment to open debate" and was a "great American leader."

"Now our whole administration is here but not just because we love Charlie as a friend, even though we did, but because we know we wouldn't be here without him. Charlie built an organization that reshaped the balance of our politics," Vance said.

He described Tyler Robinson, the suspect who was charged for allegedly killing Kirk, as an "evil murderer" and said that after Kirk's death, "we have seen the very worst parts of our humanity."

Donald Trump Jr., a close friend of Kirk's after they first worked together during the 2016 presidential campaign, began his remarks by saying he is not a sentimental person but "last week, when I received word that Charlie, who was like a little brother to me, had been assassinated, I was truly devastated."

"His legacy must be that when they took his life a million more Charlie's stepped up to film the void. We are all Charlie," Trump Jr. said to boisterous applause.

He then led the crowd in a call and response.

"I want to make sure the world hears us loud and clear. Will you surrender? Will you back down? Will you give up in fear?" Trump Jr. said, with the audience yelling "no" each time in reply.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said Charlie Kirk waged war "not with a weapon" but with a "microphone, his mind and the truth."

He described the conservative activist as a "warrior" who had the "Biblical heart of a soldier."

Hegseth urged those listening to "live worthy of Charlie Kirk's sacrifice."

Marco Rubio said Kirk had wisdom that 'takes a lifetime to accumulate'

Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasized Charlie Kirk's intelligence and said he had wisdom that "takes a lifetime to accumulate."

"He made a difference, he mattered," Rubio said.

Rubio added that Kirk had a "tremendous impact on young Americans" and led a movement that was "broader" and "deeper" than just politics.