Donald Trump Says He Will Posthumously Award Charlie Kirk With the Presidential Medal of Freedom

Still shaken from the killing of a conservative ally, the president spoke at the Pentagon to mark the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

President Donald Trump speaks during a ceremony at the Pentagon.

Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP

President Donald Trump announced Thursday that he will posthumously award Charlie Kirk with the Presidential Medal of Freedom after the conservative leader was fatally shot the day before.

“Let me express the horror and grief so many Americans at the heinous assassination Charlie Kirk have felt,” Trump said during solemn remarks at the Pentagon in observance of Sept. 11. “Charlie was a giant of his generation, a champion of liberty and an inspiration to millions and millions of people.”

The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian honor in the U.S.