Karoline Leavitt Honors Charlie Kirk at Memorial: How He Changed American Politics Forever

[00:09] Good evening everyone. Good evening.

[00:10] Please be seated. Thank you so much.

[00:13] It's such an honor to be here behind a

[00:16] podium. I'm very comfortable behind

[00:17] podiums.

[00:19] And it's really comforting to be around

[00:21] so many good, faithful, God-fearing

[00:24] people at a time when I know we are all

[00:27] still mourning. We're confused. We are

[00:29] angry over the assassination of a

[00:32] legendary American and a friend to so

[00:34] many in this room and so many across the

[00:36] country, Charlie Kirk. The presence of

[00:39] God, and he is a good God. As Erica Kirk

[00:43] so beautifully and powerfully stated, he

[00:45] is a good God. He is clearly present in

[00:48] this room tonight. You can feel the

[00:49] spirit moving and working in this room

[00:52] as we remember Charlie's life and his

[00:54] legacy. I have the honor of going to

[00:57] work every day at the White House as the

[00:59] press secretary for the 47th president

[01:01] of the United States, President.

[01:19] And I repeat that because I would not be

[01:21] in this position if not for the heroic

[01:24] efforts of Charlie Kirk, who turned the

[01:28] political tide among young people in

[01:30] this country and helped usher in

[01:32] President Trump's historic victory on

[01:34] November 5th, 2024.

[01:44] And I know that point has been said over

[01:48] and over by so many over the last few

[01:50] days, but it's because that point is

[01:52] absolutely true. President Trump's win

[01:55] in November was fueled in no small part

[01:58] by the tireless work of Charlie, the

[02:00] Turning Point organization that he built

[02:02] from scratch out of a garage, the true

[02:04] essence of the American dream, and the

[02:07] MAGA movement that he helped so many

[02:09] young people join. The important work

[02:12] that's being done every day right down

[02:14] the street from here at 1600

[02:16] Pennsylvania Avenue that I witness in to

[02:19] restore American greatness. It's

[02:21] happening in large part due to the

[02:24] blood, the sweat, and the tears that

[02:26] Charlie poured into this movement. Not

[02:28] just during the 2024 cycle, but all the

[02:31] way back to the founding of Turning

[02:33] Point 13 years ago. Charlie

[02:35] fundamentally believed in the potential

[02:38] and the promise of so many in this room,

[02:41] young patriotic Americans, and he

[02:44] inspired millions of us across the

[02:47] country to get off the couch and to

[02:49] enter the political arena to fight for

[02:52] our nation's conservative values. And I,

[02:54] too, was one of those young people. When

[02:57] I launched my campaign for Congress at

[02:59] just 23 years old during the 2022

[03:02] midterm elections, most people in this

[03:04] town, pretty much all of the people in

[03:06] this town of Washington did not take me

[03:09] seriously. Charlie Kirk, however, did.

[03:12] Charlie and his political pack, Turning

[03:14] Point Action, immediately embraced me

[03:17] with open arms and endorsed my campaign.

[03:20] Charlie personally and his team would

[03:22] check in with me throughout the

[03:23] campaign. They asked how they could

[03:25] help. And when Washington super PACs

[03:27] poured money into the coffers of my

[03:29] opponent's campaigns, Charlie and

[03:32] Turning Point gave mo me more to me to

[03:34] help me across the finish line. Charlie

[03:37] and his team flew me out to Arizona to

[03:39] introduce me to some of the biggest

[03:41] donors in Republican politics so I could

[03:43] fuel my race. Charlie welcomed me on

[03:46] stage to speak at the Student Action

[03:48] Summit in Florida, to raise national

[03:50] awareness for my candidacy, and to speak

[03:52] directly to young voters. And when most

[03:55] played it safe and stuck to the business

[03:57] as usual approach of the establishment

[03:59] Republican party that no longer exists,

[04:02] Charlie looked

[04:13] Charlie looked for the outsiders, the

[04:15] upand cominging truth tellers with new

[04:17] ideas who weren't afraid to challenge

[04:19] the status quo, just like President

[04:22] Trump whom he loved so much. And I speak

[04:24] on behalf of the president when I say

[04:27] President Trump loved you, Charlie, so

[04:29] much too.

[04:31] [Applause]

[04:36] When the president appointed me as White

[04:38] House press secretary, Charlie was one

[04:40] of the first people to reach out and

[04:42] congratulate me with genuine sincerity.

[04:44] I still have that text from him, and I

[04:46] will keep it forever. Charlie Kirk was a

[04:49] maverick, an independent-minded person

[04:51] who had the courage of his convictions.

[04:54] When so many influential voices in our

[04:56] society are brainwashing young people to

[04:59] abandon our faith, to stay single, not

[05:01] to have children, and to bash our

[05:03] country, Charlie Kirk offered us an

[05:06] alternative path. Charlie embraced our

[05:08] Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and

[05:10] proclaimed the gospel boldly and

[05:13] proudly.

[05:14] [Music]

[05:22] Charlie preached a message of faith to

[05:25] all who would listen. He encouraged

[05:27] young people to get married and to have

[05:29] children. And as a young person who has

[05:31] done it, I encourage you to do that as

[05:32] well. It is the best thing in life. It

[05:35] is the ultimate legacy that we can leave

[05:37] and our most important mission on this

[05:39] earth. Charlie celebrated American

[05:42] exceptionalism and as you heard from our

[05:43] great speaker of the house he firmly

[05:46] believed and he proclaimed that America

[05:48] is the greatest country in the history

[05:50] of the world and that's why

[05:55] [Applause]

[05:59] and that's why we must continue to fight

[06:01] to protect her. Simply put, Charlie was

[06:04] a beaming light in a world that is so

[06:07] consumed by darkness. It's going to take

[06:09] all of us in this room and all of us

[06:11] across the country to take up Charlie's

[06:14] torch because that's exactly what he

[06:16] would want us to do. We have to lean on

[06:19] our faith, dig in and fight back harder

[06:21] than ever before for the beliefs and the

[06:24] convictions that Charlie Kirk gave his

[06:26] life for. That's how we'll honor his

[06:28] family and that's how we will honor his

[06:30] legacy. If Erica Kirk, God bless her,

[06:33] could speak so powerfully in front of

[06:35] the entire nation just two days after

[06:38] her beloved husband was stolen from her

[06:40] and their two beautiful, precious

[06:42] children, then every single person in

[06:45] this room can rededicate themselves to

[06:47] the righteous cause of keeping America

[06:50] the greatest country in the history of

[06:51] the world.

[06:58] [Applause]

[07:03] So, as I continue to step before the

[07:05] White House podium, I will continue to

[07:07] pray to our Lord and Savior Jesus

[07:09] Christ. But starting tomorrow, every

[07:12] time I take that podium, I will think of

[07:14] Charlie Kirk. I will remain inspired by

[07:17] his courage and his conviction, and I

[07:19] will continue to speak the truth as

[07:20] Charlie did so well. I will leave you

[07:23] all with a scripture that feels so

[07:25] perfectly written for the time we are

[07:26] in. Romans 12:21.

[07:29] Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome

[07:32] evil with good. We cannot allow evil to

[07:35] prevail in our beautiful country. We

[07:38] must all commit ourselves to doing good.

[07:40] Good for God, good for our families, and

[07:43] good for our nation. In that order, the

[07:46] order that Charlie always spoke about.

[07:48] May God bless you and keep all of you in

[07:50] this room. Thank you.

[07:55] [Applause]