Tulsi Gabbard Honors Charlie Kirk After Assassination: A Champion of Freedom Who Lived What He Preached

[00:00] President Trump says that whoever may

[00:01] have killed Charlie failed in what their

[00:04] ultimate mission was.

[00:06] Charlie was the best of America and the

[00:08] monster who attacked him was attacking

[00:11] our whole country. An assassin tried to

[00:14] silence him with a bullet but he failed

[00:16] because together we will ensure that his

[00:19] voice, his message, and his legacy will

[00:22] live on for countless generations to

[00:24] come. Today, because of this heinous

[00:27] act, Charlie's voice has become bigger

[00:30] and grander than ever before.

[00:33] Director of National Intelligence Tulsi

[00:35] Gabbard is here. Tulsi, we haven't heard

[00:38] from many administration officials on

[00:40] camera other than the president of the

[00:41] United States, and I'm hoping you could

[00:43] characterize for us how you're feeling

[00:45] at this moment, the mood in the

[00:47] administration. We just saw the vice

[00:49] president of the United States carrying

[00:51] the coffin of a hero.

[00:54] Yeah, Kaylee. Uh I like other members of

[00:57] the president's team and and cabinet was

[00:59] in the White House when uh Charlie was

[01:02] shot and when I got the news uh we

[01:06] weren't certain about what his condition

[01:08] was at that time but obviously uh very

[01:11] very concerned and and and

[01:15] shocked shocked is is is the feeling

[01:17] that I think was there and then as as

[01:19] things developed unfortunately very

[01:21] quickly you know Charlie was a friend to

[01:24] so many of us, a dear friend, uh,

[01:27] someone who inspired countless numbers

[01:30] of people because he truly lived what he

[01:34] preached. I had the the privilege of

[01:36] being able to go with him to some of

[01:38] these college campus visits. And it was

[01:40] just amazing to see how he really

[01:43] encouraged people who disagreed with him

[01:45] to come forward. When he'd have people

[01:46] who stood in line and they would come

[01:48] and say, "Hey, Charlie, thank you for

[01:50] for, you know, the great work that

[01:51] you're doing." uh he would thank them

[01:53] for the kind words and then ask is there

[01:55] anyone in the crowd who disagrees with

[01:57] me uh please come forward and ask your

[02:00] question cut to the front of the line.

[02:02] His expression of kindness and respect

[02:06] to those that he was engaging with, even

[02:08] those who walked away still disagreeing

[02:11] with him, really is the inspiration that

[02:13] I hope we can all find in our grief at

[02:16] the loss of one of our country's most

[02:19] brave and courageous champions of

[02:22] freedom, champions for our Constitution

[02:25] and our God-given rights.

[02:26] Tulsi, I know every agency is using

[02:29] everything in their power. The FBI, the

[02:30] DOJ, everyone is trying to find this

[02:33] killer at this moment. Uh, we have heard

[02:36] about the messages on the bullets. Are

[02:37] you able to share with us any

[02:38] information about what those messages

[02:40] contained?

[02:42] Not at this time, Kaylee. The FBI is

[02:44] working on this. As you said, they're

[02:46] conducting uh their forensics. I would

[02:49] like just to say on this point though

[02:51] about the shooter uh and especially

[02:54] given today is the anniversary of the

[02:56] Islamist terrorist attack on 911.

[02:59] There's a common characteristic between

[03:02] Charlie Kirk's assassin and the Islamist

[03:04] terrorists al-Qaeda who attacked us on

[03:07] 9/11 in that they both sought to silence

[03:12] those who they did not agree with. They

[03:15] both recognized that their ideologies,

[03:18] their views would not stand up to being

[03:20] challenged. And yesterday, sadly, what

[03:23] we saw in this shooter was using

[03:25] violence in order to take away Charlie

[03:28] Kirk's voice and and take away his

[03:31] ability to continue to inspire in such

[03:34] an incredibly positive way others to

[03:36] exercise our given our God-given rights

[03:40] uh to free speech. These people are are

[03:41] fanatics in al-Qaeda. these Islamist

[03:43] terrorists, they are so-called religious

[03:45] fanatics. Yesterday, Charlie's assassin

[03:47] is a political fanatics, but these

[03:49] fanatics have to be stood up to. We

[03:52] cannot allow them to uh intimidate

[03:54] people into being fearful and therefore

[03:57] silent.

[03:58] Without a doubt. And I I'm sorry to cut

[03:59] in on you, but I do want our viewers to

[04:00] see right there. That is a live image

[04:02] that you are looking at as Charlie

[04:04] Kirk's casket is being unloaded from Air

[04:07] Force 2. There appears to be uh a

[04:10] motorcade and and we will watch this

[04:12] live. The crowd is gathering. These are

[04:14] his supporters and and Tulsi. This is

[04:17] something we've seen across the nation

[04:18] on college campuses. The people who have

[04:20] shown up, the text messages I have

[04:22] gotten from people who are not

[04:23] conservative who said, "I discovered

[04:25] that my my kids love Charlie Kirk.

[04:28] People who have turned out nationwide

[04:29] and hear this crowd gathering to honor a

[04:32] man who changed the course of history."

[04:35] Arguably, Tulsi, I think you would

[04:37] agree. Um he's responsible very likely

[04:39] for why you're sitting in this job for

[04:41] President Trump being elected. He was a

[04:43] key key player as we honor him tonight

[04:44] and look at these pictures.

[04:46] Yeah, there there's no doubt about it.

[04:48] He was always there for me when I picked

[04:50] up the phone said, "Charlie, I could use

[04:52] your help. He helped me and so many

[04:54] others in times where I wasn't even

[04:56] aware of it and I would hear of it

[04:58] thirdand." But really, it was his

[05:00] motivation. Charlie so deeply so deeply

[05:04] loved this country and sincerely valued

[05:08] the principles uh and and values that

[05:11] are enshrined in our constitution. He

[05:13] lived this appreciation for freedom and

[05:16] and used his life to inspire others to

[05:19] stand up for those principles, was

[05:21] unabashed about his love for God, his

[05:24] faith in God, and treated everyone, no

[05:26] matter who they were, no matter what

[05:28] their background, no matter their views,

[05:31] with respect that is inspired by God's

[05:34] love for all of us.

[05:36] Tulsi, and as we look at this, that door

[05:38] opened on Air Force 2. I I know you've

[05:40] been on Air Force 2 and Air Force One,

[05:42] as have I. And we can expect at any

[05:44] moment to see Vice President J. D. Vance

[05:47] come down. We know when they loaded onto

[05:48] Air Force 2, you saw Erica Kirk there,

[05:51] um, beautiful wife of Charlie Kirk,

[05:54] their two children. They're bringing

[05:57] Charlie home and and you know, you spoke

[05:59] Tulsi to the faith of Charlie Kirk. And

[06:01] I also want to speak to his love for

[06:03] family. That man loved Erica Kirk, loved

[06:06] his wife. Erica said, um, it was her

[06:09] dream come true marrying Charlie Kirk.

[06:11] He was the one. I I had the pleasure of

[06:13] being around them. I'm sure you did,

[06:14] too. It was a a love story.

[06:17] It was such a beautiful, beautiful love

[06:20] story. I remember having dinner with

[06:22] them shortly after President Trump won

[06:24] the election uh at Mara Lago and just

[06:26] telling them how, you know, the the

[06:29] night that the president won the

[06:30] election, they shared this video. They

[06:32] were Charlie was live streaming the

[06:33] whole night and when they announced that

[06:35] President Trump had won the election,

[06:37] Charlie had tears running down his eyes.

[06:40] Erica was hugging him and holding him in

[06:43] her arms and she said, "Charlie, you did

[06:45] it." And Charlie shook his head and he

[06:47] said, "No, God did this. This is all

[06:51] praise goes to God. I did nothing." Uh

[06:54] this speaks to the center of their

[06:57] marriage being God, the strength of

[06:58] their love, their courage and their

[07:00] commitment to put service above self, to

[07:03] put the well-being of others above their

[07:05] own. My heart is is devastated for Erica

[07:10] uh and those children and and the vice

[07:11] president being there and just wrapping

[07:13] them up in the love that so many of us

[07:15] have uh for them and and the knowledge

[07:18] that you know Charlie can now rest in

[07:21] the warm embrace of God's love. Yeah,

[07:24] Charlie is with his savior tonight. We

[07:25] know that. Tulsi Gabbard, thank you for

[07:27] that beautiful tribute.