Yesterday on his birthday, Charlie Kirk received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor awarded in our country. And you may have seen a little tiny bit about this in the news. You may have seen a couple clips from some of the speeches given on social media. But having been there boots on the ground myself, I'm so excited to tell you the full context of everything that happened at this history making ceremony. the people that were there, the friends and the foes and the fights that were resolved because of the legacy of Charlie, the somber attitude of everyone there, knowing the giant and the hero that we have lost, and setting a new standard for excellence of what it even means to be worthy of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. As a reminder, President Biden gave this medal to George Soros and Anna Winter. Obama gave it to Ellen Degenerous and Bruce Springsteen. But yesterday was a powerful reminder that people worthy of this type of accolade are someone that your children should be looking up to. Someone willing to lay their life down in service to our country and to God Almighty in heaven above. And no one embodies those values more than Charlie Kirk. Especially as crazy, ridiculous conspiracy theories and insane commentary have begun to circulate in the wake of Charlie's death on social media and in the podcasting world this last month. Yesterday was a powerful moment to reenter ourselves on the legacy of Charlie and the impact he made on our great country. to know what our commissioning is and how we all can do our best to pick up the microphone together and to honor his life and memory. [Music] Yesterday afternoon, I had the incredible honor and privilege of attending Charlie Kirk's Presidential Medal of Freedom ceremony here in Washington DC at the White House on Charlie's birthday. It was my very first ever day being a part of the White House press pool, which was kind of chaotic and shocking. I linked up with Mary Margaret Olahan, our beautiful White House correspondent for Daily Wire in the press briefing room right before and it is utter chaos to be a part of this. I have no idea how she operates at this level of insanity every day. And she said, "Yeah, it's like this every day." We basically all packed into the press briefing room like sardines and everyone was elbowing each other and whacking their cameras around and almost hitting each other in the face, vying for the best possible spot at the very front of the press pool, which is at the back of every single event. Um, and I've attended many White House events over the last several months, but I've never been in the press pool. So, it was a fun different experience and different vantage point to see everything as it unfolded. But we then were escorted from the press briefing room through the side of the West Wing back to the Rose Garden and standing behind a little ropedoff section for the press were able to just take in the entire experience. There was never before in American history an event happening outside in the new Rose Garden that's all been paved over until this one. They've done a couple of dinners in their new rose garden club with the admin, but never an outside event at the Rose Garden as it's been paved over like this. So, it was pretty special that we got to see that for Charlie's birthday celebration and Medal of Freedom ceremony. But, as we were walking out, the scene was just beautiful. I think it was Benny Johnson. I ended up pulling a clip for you guys to see what it was like. Tweeted this video uh about what the Rose Garden looked like as they were setting up for Charlie's ceremony. [Music] [Music] >> So, there were beautiful rows of chairs that were packed with members of Congress, the presidential cabinet, and their family members. obviously Charlie's family and many of the senior staff at Turning Point USA. And then there was some standing room at the back that had many of Charlie's closest friends, people who worked with him in different capacities over the years, White House staff, so many familiar faces. And it was an incredible sight to behold. I ended up tweeting a picture just before we began from the vantage point where I was standing from the press pool. So, we were behind everyone else. And it was just incredibly somber, incredibly humbling to see this group of people gathered together partially in joy to celebrate our friend's birthday uh and to honor his life and legacy, but also just in tremendous sadness. It's hard to tell from these pictures because it was a very cloudy and gray and somber day here in Washington DC, but pretty much the minute we showed up uh there on the south lawn of the White House in the Rose Garden, the skies opened up and the sun started shining incredibly brightly and it was a really powerful reminder that heaven is not that far away and that we can always find light even in the darkness. That was very symbolic. It was referenced by both the president and Erica during their speeches that it just felt like we were getting a little dose of heaven smiling down upon us and that was so apparent in the number of people in the crowd at the ceremony as well. People from so many different areas of the conservative movement came together in honor and love of Charlie, even if they have a lot of previous baggage or a lot of dirt on each other over the years. There were a lot of famous faces spotted in the crowd. Mary Margaret standing next to me took a short video of some of Charlie's closest friends, confidants, and co-workers taking photos and gathered together to honor Charlie's life. You can see in this clip that I'm throwing up for you right now. Uh Benny Johnson, Jack Pobic, Tyler Boyer, Andrew Kulvette, the whole Turning Point, and Charlie Kirk show gang. And they were not the only people in media gathered there at the Rose Garden for this ceremony yesterday. Various Fox News hosts all took time out of the studio to be there at the White House and to celebrate the legacy of Charlie. You saw lots of familiar faces like Jesse Waters, Laura Ingram, Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity, Bill O'Reilly. And I want to focus on that here for a second because this really is like the Avengers of the 8:00 p.m. NewsHour on Fox. These people, I've been told by reliable sources, quite genuinely have up to this point hated each other. To borrow a quote from a Fox insider, with the passion of a thousand Burning Suns, but they absolutely were able to put all of that behind them yesterday. They were able to link arms, to smile together. This photo is going incredibly viral on social media. And this is the power of Charlie Kirk to see Jesse Waters, Bill O'Reilly, and Tucker Carlson. people who genuinely had issues, really severe issues with each other over the last several years to smile, to stand next to one another, to put their arms around each other, and to say onward for Charlie. We all have to pick up this microphone together. Fox News is just one example of those type of interactions I was seeing in the crowd yesterday at the ceremony. And I think it's really beautiful to see that even when he was alive, Charlie really was a nexus for people. He was a central meeting point and in many ways the glue that held the conservative movement together. Turning Point USA and their events created that generational vantage point for young people to see that even when people have had their issues in the past, we have a greater mission that we are fighting for and a greater purpose in this movement than just getting clicks or airtime for ourselves or electing a certain politician or pushing for a certain piece of legislation. This has to be a place for us to link arms and to fight forward together. To see that play out in real time after his death has been even more compelling, even stronger, and a really powerful reminder that we all have to do that together to drop whatever baggage we had in the past and to fight forward as one unified conservative movement. Interestingly, the most powerful moments leading up to the event beginning happened after everyone got their smiles out of the way. after people had taken their pictures and spent some time chatting with one another. After a very bizarre, hilarious playlist was playing that you did not see on television, but Dancing Queen from ABBA, some 50s hits were playing. We had some 70s and 80s music. It was quite the hodgepodge. We wondered who was running the Spotify account. But then all of a sudden, everyone got very quiet. There was a moment of silence. The skies opened up and the sun started shining through. And of all things, the A Maria started playing in the Rose Garden to set the scene just before Erica and the president emerged from the Oval Office to begin the ceremony and begin their remarks. And out of nowhere, this loud, boisterous, fun, happy scene where everyone was excited to see one another went completely still. And everyone listened to this song preparing for what we knew was going to be an incredibly moving speech. Listen to this. heaven. [Music] [Music] It was a beautiful song choice and knowing that Charlie spent so much time in the last few weeks of his life talking about Mary, I thought it was incredibly fitting and really beautiful to know that that song was played at his presidential Medal of Freedom ceremony. The networks did not pick that up. So, if you didn't see that on TV, that was something for those of us that were just there and we shared on social media. But I looked around and even members of the press were starting to get a little misty eyed at the A Maria. And I knew that what was about to happen was going to be incredibly moving. Maybe one of the most moving presidential and White House events in recent history, if ever that happened at the White House here in Washington DC. The event opened up with President Trump giving some remarks about why we were gathered there today. He in many ways I think looked a lot more heartbroken and devastated than what I have seen him say in the wake of Charlie's death. And undoubtedly I think that's because he spent time with Erica in the Oval Office and with Charlie's parents in the Oval Office just before he gave this speech. So you can see the heartbreak in his eyes and you could hear it in his voice. uh as you know he had moved heaven and earth to come all the way back from the Middle East uh and landed at about 3:00 in the morning as of the day of this event. So they were all obviously exhausted as well. But to feel the raw emotion in his voice as he was mourning what felt like a son to him. I mean Charlie was around constantly since Donald Trump ran for president was I think really powerful for the people in attendance there. And it's hard to convey through watching clips and through seeing this on TV. But I hope knowing a little bit more of that backstory, you can hear what we saw in the Rose Garden as well. Here's Trump setting the scene for why we were gathered in the Rose Garden yesterday. Today, we're here to honor and remember a fearless warrior for liberty, beloved leader who galvanized the next generation like nobody I've ever seen before, and an American patriot of the deepest conviction, the finest quality and the highest caliber, the late great Charlie Kirk. >> It's still really hard. It's really hard for me to hear the late great Charlie Kirk. That still doesn't quite feel real, but those words are hauntingly beautiful. And whoever on the speech writing team was responsible for putting those together, and they were beautifully delivered by President Trump, an American of the highest caliber, someone who galvanized young people like no one we've ever seen in history. That is 100% correct. President Trump took some time during his speech to explain why we were doing the event on this particular day to honor Charlie Kirk's birthday uh and how difficult it was to get back from the Middle East, but how he couldn't bear to let Erica down and had to have it on Charlie's birthday. Listen up. You >> know, only hours ago, I returned from a very historic trip to secure peace in the Middle East. People said that couldn't be done. Charlie felt it could be done. Charlie felt it could be done. >> Thank you. Thank you. Thank you very much. But I raced back halfway around the globe. I was going to call Erica and say, "Erica, could you maybe move it to Friday?" And I didn't have the courage to call. But you know why I didn't call? because I heard today was Charlie's birthday. And I said, you know, now we that was a definite. And I said, we're going to have to forget about some of those very big, very rich countries that expected me to be there. And I can tell you based on the length of that flight, I wouldn't want to go back tomorrow. But I would not have missed this moment for anything in the world. >> I know he wouldn't. He really did view Charlie like a son. And a couple of times he's referenced now in the speech at the memorial service in Phoenix uh on some smaller remarks given to the press and then of course in his speech yesterday that he just doesn't have the courage to call Erica and tell her that it's too hard to get there or it's too impossible to make the logistics work. And I think that speaks so powerfully and so beautifully to how much President Trump loves the Kirk family that he is willing to move heaven and earth to honor Charlie's life and to be there for Turning Point USA, to be there for Erica through this journey. I know the vice president and his wife Usha feel the exact same way. And on the note of heaven, President Trump made some very viral clips uh over the past few days and made some headlines for his gaggle on Air Force One on his way back from the Middle East talking about heaven and that he doesn't think he is worthy of heaven that someday he would love to be there in heaven, but he doesn't think that he'll ever earn his spot there. I know there's been a a number of very fruitful and powerful conversations in the wake of those comments going viral of people knowing that Trump is very clearly understanding Christian theology and that we really hope close people right around his inner circle and orbit are reminding him of the power of the grace of God and knowing the impact that he's made around the world to bring people to God in that process. He did reference heaven again in his speech yesterday, honoring Charlie, but specifically knowing that he believes Charlie is in heaven looking down upon us and could feel his presence at the event yesterday. >> He now rests in heaven and he's going to make heaven. I said, I'm not sure I can make it, but he's going to make it. He's there. He's looking down on us right now. It's so incredible. Look at this. How this turned out. This was supposed to be so dark and cloudy. Not dark and cloudy, is it? Look at that. How beautiful that is. There's no artist that can can capture it as beautiful as it is today. Wow. It's amazing. >> There's no artist who can capture as beautiful as it is today. That is so perfectly articulated because to feel the warmth of the sun after a really weird rainy cloudy day here in DC to watch the light come through the clouds and through the American flags flying on top of the Eisenhower building behind the West Wing. 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Truly, she is a vessel for God. and Charlie would be so unbelievably proud of her to listen to the words that she gave yesterday in honoring his life. I'm going to go a little bit out of order in pulling some of my favorite clips from Erica's speech for you today because she ended her speech with a powerful call to action that this cannot just be a celebration of Charlie's birthday or a ceremony of receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom. What today needs to stand for, she said yesterday afternoon, is a commissioning, a call to action for young Americans everywhere. These words were so powerful to hear in real time. To all watching, this is this is not a ceremony. This is a commissioning. And my message is simple. I want you to be the embodiment of this medal. I do. I want you to free yourself from fear. I want you to stand courageously in the truth. Listen for the still small voice of God. And remember that while freedom is inherited in this country, each of us must be intentional stewards every single day. Each of us must be intentional stewards of freedom every single day. It's really hard to tell from these video clips because you're getting them through the broadcast microphones of linked directly to the cameras that I was standing next to in the press pool, but Erica's entire speech was delivered very softly yesterday. She had a bit of that at the memorial service in Phoenix as well, but many of her sentences were barely over a whisper in volume level. And everyone standing in the Rose Garden, from the members of the press to those sitting in the first row, were hooked on every single word. Truly, you could hear a pin drop outside. The only thing you could hear was the breeze coming through the trees and Erica's beautiful speech. And everyone was leaning forward, eager to get the next word out of this beautiful young woman's mouth because we just knew it was coming directly from God. That commissioning really was the message of Erica's entire speech as she spoke about the legacy of Charlie, the impact that he and Turning Point USA have had on young Americans and the history of our country, and just missing her family, missing her husband and her children, missing their father. She thanked President Trump for giving him the perfect birthday present as something that she's been in search of for over seven years in their relationship together. Honestly, President Trump, I have spent seven and a half years trying to find the perfect birthday gift for Charlie. And it's so difficult. And those of you that have spouses or loved ones, you know how difficult it is sometimes to buy a gift for someone that you love because he wasn't a materialistic man. So, that also did not help. But now, I can say with confidence, Mr. President, that you have given him the best birthday gift he could ever have. The president was incredibly moved during that tribute and you could just feel the emotion through everything that she was saying. And I loved how she took the time really to set the the stage and set the tone for what her speech was going to be about. She brought forward stories of Charlie that people hadn't heard before. She took the time to speak about Charlie's specific habit of journaling and the things that he was really passionate about believing even in his own inner mind. He she never read Charlie's journals until after he had passed away. And she's been ferociously digging them up over the last month just to get a deeper glimpse into her husband's heart and his mind. She said yesterday's event was incredibly fitting given Charlie's legacy specifically. Listen to this. such an honor and the recognition of a life lived for defending freedom. And that's what Charlie fought for until his last breath. And it was written across his chest in those final moments on one of his simple t-shirts that always carried a message. And this one bearing a single word, freedom. That was the banner over his life. In that shirt was a declaration. The same declaration he made in every speech, every campus visit, every time he shared the gospel at a church, every sleepless night that he would spend praying for the youth of this nation and planning for the future of our country and just oppressing upon them that when we defend liberty, we defend the soul of our nation. >> Freedom. She's right. Almost every single day of his life, including when he was on national television or under suits, unless he had to wear a tuxedo, Charlie would wear these t-shirts that just had one word or a very simple phrase, live free. Uh, that was a really common one that he wore all the time. If there was something going on in the news, they would make a t-shirt really quickly that he would adorn to make sure that he was tying everything into what was happening. Socialism sucks, big government sucks were the big turning point t-shirts that we all wore over the years. as TPUSA activists, but this freedom shirt was pretty new. I think they had just come up with the the shirt design just before he died. And it's incredibly fitting, she said, to know that in his last few moments, he wore across his chest the anthem for his life, the driving mission behind everything he ever did on his radio show, speaking on campuses, in proclaiming the gospel, in fighting hard for the right people to get elected to office. Charlie's life was grounded in freedom. So there is no more perfect birthday present that he could have ever received than the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor that our nation has to offer. In offering a glimpse into Charlie's diary and and journal entries uh yesterday in her speech, Erica described Charlie's deep groundedness in this concept of freedom. And it's something that he wrestled with a lot during his young life. uh something that he was passionate about studying but also really trying to ground himself in freedom in our faith more specifically than anything. Here's what she had to say about that. Freedom is the ability to do what is right without fear. And that's how he lived. He was free from fear. He was free from compromise. Free from anything that could enslave his soul. Freedom is the ability to do what is right without fear. As I have been traveling the country and constantly on airplanes, having a sit-down meal with my family can be incredibly difficult to schedule. But this fall, Good Ranchers challenged us to get back to the table. And honestly, it has changed everything. Just one night per week, our family is making it happen. 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We were expected to have great conversations with the grown-ups, not just at big holiday gatherings like Thanksgiving or Christmas, but every single night to know where our values come from and how to speak the truth to the world. And now that I have a daughter of my own, it is incredibly special to get to share that with her in our new family as well. You can visit goodranchers.com and use my code Isabelle for $40 off plus free meat for life, which is so great when you subscribe. That's isabel for $40 off and free meat for life. Go to good ranchers.com. Let's get back to the table. Over the years at TurningPoint USA and especially studying from Charlie, it was always really fascinating for me to see his personal political evolution. I've said this a few times on the show and in various um news hits and and interviews that I've given over the past month since his death. But Charlie when starting Turning Point USA I don't think intended to start a religious revival and certainly I believe his political philosophy surely was shaped by his Christian faith and his religious values but wasn't primarily driven by his relationship with God and with Christian teaching and specific doctrine and dogma. Charlie used to call himself a conservarian. He was this blend of traditional conservatism and libertarianism. And basically he just wanted to create a country that was grounded in three principles in limited government, in free speech, and in free markets. And anything else, there's a big big opportunity for for some discrepancy there. And well, I think Charlie still remained so rooted in the idea that conservatism has to be a link arms across multiple ideological divisions movement, a big tent movement as the Republican party was originally founded to be. As Charlie refined his faith journey and as he as he matured in his relationship with God and allowed the Holy Spirit to work through him and provide wisdom in ways that man can't achieve on our own, the idea of freedom being grounded in God became so much more obvious to him. The quote that I've referenced a few times from that last speaking engagement that we shared together that when man starts to drink from the streams of liberty, he wants to know the source. and liberty, freedom is not man's idea. It's God's idea became this resounding gong and battlecry for Charlie to want more for America than the loose idea of freedom that I think we've settled for over the past several generations and decades. that freedom or liberty is just doing whatever you want, free from interference from the government, which sadly has created movements and ideologies and teachings that ironically have enslaved young Americans into sin, into deception, into destruction, crime, and so much more. I mean, look at the so-called freedom of the gender theory movement that tells children and teenagers that you should be free to castrate yourself or to chop off your genitals in the name of affirmation. There's nothing free about these movements. Instead, they entrap and enslave us inside of our own skin under the illusion of liberty. Charlie understood better than anyone else. As Erica perfectly illustrated yesterday, that true freedom is not the ability to do whatever you want. That's a hollow demonic deception of what freedom is supposed to be. True freedom is the ability to do what is right. Free from fear, free from consequences, free from interference, and that freedom can never be divorced from God. She goes on to further explain this so beautifully in her speech. >> And he reminded us that in a world that tells us freedom is, you know, doing whatever you want to do, the real freedom is the power to live freely and to do what is right. >> And in one of his journal entries, he wrote that he wanted everyone to know that you can't have liberty without moral responsibility. Freedom divorced from faith eventually just destroys itself. >> Freedom divorced from faith eventually just destroys itself. There are 8 million oneliners I could pick out from Charlie and his radio show, his speeches, his now journal entries, which I hope maybe eventually get published. We should be working on that as I'm thinking of that idea in real time. But even from Erica, the two of them, I believe, are uniquely ordained by God to be philosophers, to be theologians, to speak the truth even when it's difficult, and to articulate it in a way that resonates across generations. Certainly, Charlie is the voice of a generation, young people in this country, and set the moral tone and the expectation of what our values should be as a generation moving forward. But what's so unique about this family is their ability to speak into the hearts of humanity. American or not, old or young, people from all walks of life, from across the political spectrum. What they say and these specific quotes just have this resonating factor and resounding power to be constantly rattling around in your head for days or weeks or years after they are said. and Erica's speech yesterday certainly is no exception to pull out a few specific quotes to work through with you guys in real time today. Uh I would love to share some with you because I don't know if you had the chance to watch the full speech. You should. It's only about 15 minutes and I know we streamed it through Daily Wire and shared that on our social media yesterday. You may have caught a few bits and pieces through cable television, although not from MSNBC, who was the only cable news network to decide zero coverage, zero coverage of the Presidential Medal of Freedom ceremony for Charlie was appropriate. Shame is your middle name. But to hear Erica's words that were truly delivered from the heart, that were resoundingly based in moral clarity, and that gave people so much hope in the midst of our despair. I think is important as we continue to learn how we pick up the microphone together moving forward. Erica reminded us yesterday that the name Charles Charlie Charlie literally means free man and Charlie's legacy was built in fighting for freedom. It's the words that were etched across his chest in the last few minutes of his life and now has sparked a movement oriented in fighting for freedom. but that freedom ultimately cannot exist here on this earth in eternity. We're not meant to live here forever. And I loved this quote from her speech. Heaven gained what earth could no longer contain. A free man made fully free. True freedom is in God. It's in eternal life. And it's in knowing that no matter how difficult it is for us to speak the truth on this side of heaven, ultimately our reward will be great in unity with God and in eternal life in heaven. The very last message that she gave uh in the last sentence of her speech was this, a quote that I think should live on throughout all of American history moving forward and should echo throughout eternity. To live free is the greatest gift. To die free is the greatest victory. I said this morning on Fox News at like 6:30 in the morning because I'm a glutton for punishment and I already don't sleep with my daughter staying up all night in the middle of her sleep regression. So why not take 6 a.m. news hits? On Fox and Friends this morning, I shared that we as young people have had a wakeup call and kind of a violent slap in the face in the last four weeks to realize that we are not guaranteed or afforded 100 years of life. We have no idea how long we have on this earth and our lives could be violently taken away from us in the next few minutes, hours, days, weeks, or years. We could be assassinated for believing the exact same things that Charlie did at 31 years old. And this idea of running out of time and making the most of the time that we have been gifted every day has been a common one that I'm seeing people react to on Tik Tok, on Instagram, on their podcasts and college campuses. People feel this sense of urgency to know that we cannot just live free in Charlie's memory. But we also have to be willing to die free. This has to be a movement that we are willing to give up everything for to give up our reputations for to give up our friendships and relationships for our grades on our papers and on our exams and in our classes on college campuses when our professors threaten us for speaking our values and to for speaking the truth. This has to be something we're willing to give our jobs up for, our comfortability for, our safety for, and maybe even our lives for if we are serious about carrying the torch of freedom forward for the next generation. But that's not something to fear. It's something to wear as a badge of honor as we put on the full armor of God every single day in knowing that we have the opportunity and the responsibility to try to make this world a little bit more like the next one. No one else, no one older than us, no one who came before us is going to be on the front lines of that fight. It has to fall back on us. And Erica took time out of her speech to remind us of that yesterday as young people. She had a specific message for this next generation. She said, "My message is simple. Free yourself from fear. I want you to stand courageously in the truth, to listen for the still small voice of God, and to remember that while freedom is inherited in this country, each of us must be intentional stewards every single day. I don't find it coincidental that throughout scripture exactly 365 times exactly it says in the Bible do not be afraid. It is one of the most commonly repeated phrases in our direct communication with God as our tie through sacred scripture. To never have anxiety, to never have fear, to do not worry, do not be afraid. God is with us always. And when we dare to tell the truth to a world that is rejecting that very concept, truth that has a name, Jesus Christ, there is nothing we can fear. No bullet from any assassin. No violence from any insane crazed left-wing nut job lunatic. No backlash. No bad grade. No firing from our job. No loss of a friendship can hold us back from truth being on our side. Erica reminded us yesterday that Charlie believed that liberty, freedom, had to be tied to the honor of God. Freedom, she said, is the ability to do what is right without fear. And that liberty could only survive when anchored to the truth. Truth grounded in the light of God and in the man Jesus Christ, who supersedes all of humanity, who lives outside of time and space, who our realm of humanity could not contain, and who offers us the ultimate hope in eternal life. We have all dealt with that annoying bloating and gut discomfort that just will not go away. You know the usual advice just to eat slower, walk after meals, avoid processed foods, yada yada yada. And while that all helps, sometimes you still just feel incredibly gross despite doing everything right. That is where colostrum comes in. 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As I mentioned, just before Erica gave her remarks, President Trump presented her with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which was an incredibly anchoring, somber, solemn moment in the Rose Garden on the south lawn of the White House. Here is a clip of that beautiful moment happening that it was such an honor to be able to witness in person. [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] You could hear Amazing Grace playing there. We'll come back to that in a second because that was easily the most powerful moment of the entire event. Uh, but I wanted to show you this photo in particular. The White House official account ended up posting this on social media, a photo of that moment with President Trump and Erica Kirk describing why the Presidential Medal of Freedom was awarded to Charlie on his birthday. And I hope you can see conveyed through this image just the raw emotion, the heartbreak, the tragedy that we are all feeling, but the symbol offered through this medal and through the American flag flying behind them of what we are fighting for that it cannot die with Charlie. Freedom cannot die with Charlie. It has to be something that we all are willing to lay our lives down for. whether you're receiving a medal or not. And ultimately, as Erica beautifully said yesterday, Charlie was not a man of accolades or awards or materialistic things. She really struggled every every single year finding him the perfect birthday present because he never actually wanted stuff. Charlie lived out of a suitcase for the vast majority of his adult life. The idea of having too much stuff actually stressed him out more than having nothing. And uh while this was perfectly honoring him and the perfect birthday present he could ever have received, he'd be the first person to tell you it's not about who gets the credit. Charlie actually had a little plaque on his desk. Andrew texted me a picture of the other day. Um and it was a beautiful image of this quote that it it's amazing what you can get done every day if you don't care who gets the credit. He reminded us of that every single day through his life and legacy. And whether you think anyone is worthy of the Presidential Medal of Freedom or not, obviously I think Charlie was. This is an award that is often given to musicians or actors or people who just have accomplished important things throughout history. I hope this sets a new standard of excellence for what the Presidential Medal of Freedom is supposed to mean and giving it to people who truly deserve it in the future. It's ultimately not about a medal. It's not about accolades. It's not about awards or receiving the credit. It's about rolling up your sleeves every day and being willing to lay your life down in service to your country, in service to your family, and in service to the truth of God. As the event started wrapping up, uh this beautiful sunset started taking place across Washington DC and you could see the gigantic American flag that our amazing president paid for out of his own pocket on the south lawn waving in the wind. Tyler Boyer ended up tweeting a video uh out of the White House through the window here of just the most beautiful night. And you truly could feel a sense of the divine around us as we watch this beautiful sunset take place and the skies clearing from a cloudy, rainy, crazy day looking out at the Washington Monument at our American flag and from the south windows of the White House. And to come back, I promised we would, to that moment of Amazing Grace. As the event wrapped up, a beautiful string quartet was playing Amazing Grace for the entire duration of the song, not just that first verse that most of us know. And Margot Martin on the president's team, took a very moving, very powerful video of Erica, of Stacy Sheridan, who was one of the senior staffers comforting Erica uh from Turning Point USA. there in the front row, the president, the vice president, and second lady standing with the Kirk family and with Charlie's parents as they just took in the scene mourned the loss of their wonderful uh son, husband, brother, friend, and the leader of this movement. And truly I can tell you even standing back with the press corps with the press corps who never fairly covers any of this stuff and who has had a lot of choice things to say even about Charlie in the last month there truly was not a dry eye anywhere in the White House. Everyone was balling their eyes out or at least mistied listening to this song and thinking about the legacy of Charlie in the process. [Music] the world. [Music] Wow. As I was listening to that song play, as you guys saw, I was behind the whole event. So, there was them sitting in the front row, a bunch of rows of chairs, people standing, and then I was standing behind the people standing. So, I couldn't see, you know, the intimate facial expressions made by Charlie's parents or by Erica until I saw that video. But, I was looking up behind the West Wing at the Eisenhower Executive Office building, which is where like 99% of the people who work for the White House work. And there's a big American flag, not quite as big as the north and south lawn flags that President Trump has installed now, but there's a beautiful American flag flying right at the top center of the Eisenhower building. And as the sun was setting, listening to this song, the light rays coming through the flag and the flag waving in the air, honestly, it just felt like we were in a movie. Like it it was literally like listening to a movie score of this incredible man who laid his life down for freedom as he wore those words across his chest. We couldn't have written a more compelling, powerful story about what it means to be an American and what it means to fight for our nation, to fight for liberty, to preserve godliness, and to bring back what is good and true and beautiful. And I will never forget the image of that flag waving in the sunset listening to Amazing Grace on on the White House Rose Garden patio with people who miss and love and promise to honor our friend every single day moving forward. As the event concluded, there was a lovely reception held in the White House State Dining Room, as usually there are after events like this, which gave us all an opportunity to see and visit with one another. I was able to reconnect with lots of old friends from Turning Point USA. It was wonderful to see them and to tell stories about Charlie. Uh, I saw a priest friend who knows the Kirk family very well who came out from Arizona, which was incredible to see that he was able to make this event. uh lots of donors to the organization and people who I've known for upwards of a decade now which is crazy and of course had an opportunity to visit with Erica as well. I know every one of you has been asking about her and how she's doing. Of course, that's a very complicated answer, but I can tell you from afar, you can see Erica's strength just resonating through every single speech that she is giving, but up close, she is even more fortuitous and strong, beyond anything you could ever imagine. Megan Kelly said this uh when she went to host the Charlie Kirk show weeks and weeks ago now just after Charlie's death that since she saw Erica, she doesn't think Erica has stopped crying since Charlie has been taken from us. And I think the same thing is true weeks later now. The whole time Erica has these very silent tears falling out of her eyes that she very gracefully wipes away as she talks to you. But through that, she knows how to smile and she knows the joy of what it was and the gift of what it was to be married to Charlie. She knows her purpose that God has given her in this new race to run. And she's not going anywhere. She's working through this and walking through it every single day, committed to being a megaphone for God and committed to letting the Holy Spirit work through her in any way that she can offer her life to do so. and uh getting to hug her yesterday and tell her that you all are praying for her and to deliver that message was incredibly humbling and I'm very very honored to have had the chance to do that. I was standing right next to Benny Johnson as he took this video last night, but she ended up opening up the case of the Presidential Medal of Freedom and showing us the medal, which was very cool to see up close. I had never seen one up close. And as she flipped it over, you can see that for the very first time in American history, a cross has been engraved into the back of the Medal of Freedom along with Charlie's name, which is the most powerful image I think any of us could have seen. To know that we can't just be fighting for our country anymore. And it's not enough to just call ourselves Americans. We have to be fighting for God. And we have to be anchored in the truth of God as well. Check this out because it's really cool to watch. You can see her flip over the medal. Charlie's name is engraved as is a cross right on the back of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. That was quite a sight to behold. And boy was she proud to be showing that to all of the people who know and love her and who know and love Charlie. I am so excited to share with you guys that I am working with the candle club. We have created my very own collection of Americanmade toxin-free clean burning candles with some of the artwork that you see right behind me on our set. We've got Teddy Roosevelt. We've got Liberty and Corgis for All and many other incredible designs that are specifically exclusive to the Isabelle Brown Show. We are using Clean Sense 100% organic cotton wicks. These candles are not just beautiful and they smell amazing. They are so safe for your family to use as well. You can pre-order the limited first run right now at the candleclub.com/isabel. We are launching this together and you can get all four of my handpicked scents when you order now. That is the candleclub.com/isabel. I walked away from yesterday's birthday celebration for Charlie feeling sad. Certainly. I mean, I was balling my eyes out walking out the front door. I held it together really well until I was able to hug Erica and then I kind of just became a blubbering mess, but also more resolved than I have been in the month since Charlie has been taken from us. It's obvious to me, and I think it's been obvious to everyone who was able to listen to Erica's words yesterday, that we have to be bolder. We have to use this opportunity in our response to be unapologetic, to be unafraid, unashamed, and to proudly, loudly proclaim the gospel and proclaim truth now more than ever before. I posted a clip from our episode yesterday on Instagram with Cole Swindell, whose interview really blew me away in our tribute episode for Charlie's birthday yesterday about how he said, "You know, this has been a wake-up call for so many of us to draw a line, to realize that a guy was just assassinated for believing the exact same things that I believe, but for just being a little more bold about it." And it was a chance for me to look in the mirror and realize that it's not enough to just be nice and to be non-judgmental and to stay out of everybody's way and to stay in my own lane and to keep to myself. That's not enough. That's not what it means to be a Christian. That's not what it means to be a patriot. That's not what it means to fight for freedom. And somebody commented in my comment section, somebody new clearly listening to the Isabelle Brown show who hasn't been around for a while evidently because uh my faith is not a secret. I wear it literally on my sleeve with every passing day. Um, but somebody commented, you know, I just started listening to Isabelle's new show with Daily Wire and it's nice and I'm conservative, but just some feedback. I think she talks too much about Jesus. It's becoming a little too preachy, a little too sermony. I'm not a preacher, first of all. Women shouldn't be preachers. Different conversation for another time. But ultimately, I ended up responding back to that guy. The only thing that matters is telling people about God. That's it. That's the only thing that matters on this side of heaven because ultimately this is not our home. Heaven is our home. And we have a commission, to use that word from Erica, to try to make this world a little bit more like the next one. to be bold, to know that it's not enough anymore to just be quiet, to keep to ourselves, to hide behind a shade or a curtain, but to let our light shine before others, just as Charlie did. Bishop Baron was scheduled to have Charlie on his podcast 10 days after Charlie died. I love Bishop Baron. I'm a huge fan of his and his podcast and his work. and he gave a an incredibly moving testimony of Charlie's life from the faith perspective as a call to action for every single one of us this week. So, as we wrap up our episode today, I would love for you to hear his words. >> I want to focus a bit on Charlie's murder. The fact that he died not with a gun in his hand, not a knife in his hand, not a grenade in his hand, not exercising violence, but with a means of communication in his hand. In witnessing that, whether consciously or not, I think we understand something fundamental is endangered. He liked to go to campuses. He would express his point of view and then he had him a microphone and he'd say, "Come on up and and argue with me. Come up and debate with me, prove me wrong." And that's exactly what he was doing the day he died. He was speaking with someone more liberally minded. And in the very act of doing that, he was uh he was murdered. This unnerves us. And it should unnerve us because something in our western civilization is threatened thereby. Something I love that Charlie Kirk used to say. He'd be challenged by a kid who would say, "What are you doing here on campus? Why are you here?" He would say, "When people stop talking to each other, bad things happen. When people in a relationship stop talking, divorce happens. When a society stops talking, civil war happens." Quite right, it seems to me. And that stretches right back to Socrates and provides a foundation for our society. >> The foundation for our society has to be rooted in conversation. And our greatest weapon, our greatest weapon as people of faith especially is not a grenade, is not a weapon in the literal sense. It's a microphone. As Bishop Baron just said, it's a means of communication. as we round out Charlie's birthday celebration and this first month without him and we start to turn our eyes to what Charlie was fighting for, not just honoring his life retrospectively, but now all continue to pick up the microphone and continue our work in his legacy. Our call to action for you is incredibly simple. Pick up the microphone. Do not be afraid to speak to speak the truth. Truth is always on our side. Even when it seems like the entire world stands against it and is fighting back. Even when it feels like you may lose everything, your reputation, your grade point average, your relationships, or maybe even your life, truth transcends humanity, and it transcends this lifetime. But it is always worth fighting for. Most importantly, every single one of us needs to be far more boldly unapologetic in our faith and to have the courage to seek something bigger than ourselves. That is exactly what we have seen in this last month since Charlie's death. And I know it is only going to continue getting stronger as we have the courage, boldness, and uh bravery to seek God in a culture demanding we run away from him. As of this morning, new data shows that Bible sales in America are up over 40% since 2022. That's incredible. Faith app downloads have increased 79.5% since 2019, and Christian music streams have risen over 50% on Spotify since the same period. Charlie reminded everyone just before he died that one of the number one artists on monthly listener basis on YouTube is Forest Frank. Forest Frank today has more YouTube monthly listeners than Drake. Okay, that's insane. And that's been a trend that already has been going on for the last 5 6 years. But especially in the last month following Charlie's death, there are reports of overflowing church pews and mass baptisms happening across the country since September 10th, 2025. Pew research indicates that Christianity's decline in America, which has been happening for the last several generations, has completely stalled. And that decline being reversed, an increase in our faith is being led by young men unequivocally. And post-pandemic provides an interesting opportunity for our country, especially because faith was at an all-time low during the pandemic, for us to use the last few years, this culture war that Charlie has been waging and fighting through Turning Point USA, through his show, and the conservative movement at large to use this culture war as a springboard into the rest of the 2020s and beyond. There is undoubtedly a revival happening in America today. The question is, do we have the courage and the fortitude to keep that fire burning and to keep fighting for truth no matter what the cost? [Music]
