Speakers at Charlie Kirk’s funeral include Trump, Vance and more

The Arizona memorial service of Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated on Sept. 10 by a 22-year-old gunman, is set to be one of the year’s most notable events in Republican politics.

Kirk was one of the biggest names in MAGA politics thanks to his founding and management of Turning Point USA. Both he and the organization became major players in the reshaping of the GOP establishment into a more extremist entity.

Kirk’s funeral will be held Sunday at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, which could attract tens of thousands of Kirk followers and will be attended by a plethora of right-wing figures, including President Donald Trump, who reportedly plans to posthumously award Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

The list of speakers, announced by Turning Point on Wednesday, reflects the high-profile nature of the service. At least five of the highest-ranking officials in the Trump administration will join the president in speaking about Kirk. With the massive venue and top government officials in attendance and speaking, Kirk’s service is practically a state funeral.

Turning Point noted that it would add more names to the list of speakers at a later time. No speaker schedule has been released.

Here’s everyone we know who will speak on Sunday.

President Donald Trump

Kirk was a loyal ally to Trump, even after the president lost the 2020 election to Joe Biden and was on the outs within the establishment for his role in fomenting the Jan. 6 insurrection.

Trump essentially announced Kirk’s death when he posted on Truth Social: “The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead. No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie.”

Still, when asked off the cuff how he was holding up a few days after Kirk’s death, Trump said he was doing pretty well before quickly transitioning to talk about how excited he was about a White House remodel. Notably, a joke about that exchange is the excuse the Trump crony-led Federal Communications Commission used to push ABC and its affiliates to take comedian Jimmy Kimmel off the air.

Vice President J.D. Vance

The vice president — who is much closer in age to Kirk than Trump — connected with the young media provocateur and often called him a friend. He hosted “The Charlie Kirk Show” days after the killing, where he falsely claimed that most political violence is committed by allies of the left.

Erika Kirk

Kirk’s widow, who is five years her husband’s senior, was just elected the new CEO of Turning Point. She gave a tear-filled address in the days after Kirk’s tragic death, pledging to carry on his legacy. She and Kirk have two young children.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio

Rubio is one of the top officials in the Trump administration. He has already begun work to deport any visa holders who “celebrated” the death of Kirk — read: were at all critical of Kirk’s legacy — on social media.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth

The controversial former Fox News personality — who wants to be called Secretary of War, though that’s still not the legal name of his department — will give remarks at the funeral. Under his leadership, the Pentagon had started cracking down on troops who made negative comments about Kirk on social media, stirring fear in the armed forces about the politicization of the department. Hegseth has reportedly also considered using Kirk’s death as a way to recruit more service members.

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard

The once-moderate Democrat-turned-MAGA fanatic also spoke at a different memorial for Kirk recently and compared his death to the 9/11 terrorist attacks, which could signal a willingness to crack down on Americans’ civil liberties just as the Bush administration did after that tragedy. “This is the definition of terrorism,” Gabbard said.

Donald Trump Jr.

The eldest son of the president made a lengthy post mourning Kirk on the day of his death and said the 31-year-old was a “little brother” to him. Trump Jr. had also made TV appearances in which he asserted (falsely and without evidence) that only leftists are committing political violence.

White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles

The president’s chief of staff — who doesn’t often speak in such high-profile public situations — will deliver remarks. Wiles noted during a radio show interview that White House staffers were in mourning after Kirk’s death. “He was very close to many of us,” she said. “He was so much help in the campaign. So, you know, there’s no question there’s a sadness there.”

Tucker Carlson

The independent political commentator and former Fox News host has long been one of the most pugnacious supporters of the right in American politics. Interestingly, since being fired from Fox, Carlson has been more critical of certain elements of right-wing politics, including U.S. support for Israel’s brutal mass killing of Palestinians. He has also said the Trump administration is using Kirk’s death to tread on Americans’ First Amendment rights, which may mean his remarks at Kirk’s service will be the most civically balanced.

White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller

Trump’s immigration adviser — and one of the most extreme right-wing ideologues in the inner circle — is among several calling for a fascist crackdown on leftist organizations in the wake of Kirk’s killing. Expect fire, brimstone and bloodthirsty language from Miller.

Ambassador to India nominee Sergio Gor

The current director of the White House Presidential Personnel Office worked with Kirk to develop loyalty tests for government workers as Trump took office. He was a friend of Kirk.

Worship leaders

Several Christian singers are slated to participate in the memorial service as “worship leaders.” They include Chris Tomlinson, Brandon Lake, Phil Wickham, Kari Jobe Carnes and Cody Carnes.