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President Donald Trump claimed that conservative activist Charlie Kirk's last words to him included a plea to "save Chicago" while giving the final speech at his memorial service at State Farm Stadium on Sunday (September 21).
"Please sir, save Chicago," Trump said that Kirk told him.
Kirk was a native of Arlington Heights, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, where Trump has openly spoken about plans to send federal troops following similar action in Washington, D.C., and Memphis, Tennessee, recently.
"We’re gonna do that, we’re gonna save Chicago from horrible crime," Trump said.
The president called Kirk a "martyr" and one of "America's greatest patriots" during his speech on Sunday.
"Today America is a nation in grief and a nation in shock, and a nation in mourning," Trump said.
"He died what was right for our nation," he added. "Our greatest evangelist for liberty became immortal."
"He's a martyr now," Trump continued. "None of us will ever forget Charlie Kirk. And neither now will history. He will live for ever in the chronicle of America's greatest patriots."
Trump concluded the event, following Vice President JD Vance and Kirk's widow, Erika, on the stage at State Farm Stadium. Turning Point USA, the conservative organization co-founded by Kirk, said that more than 200,000 people registered to attend the ceremony.
Kirk was fatally shot in the neck during what was scheduled to be the first stop on his 'American Comeback Tour' on September 10. The suspected shooter, Tyler Robinson, was announced to have been in custody and publicly identified by police on September 12.
Kirk founded Turning Point USA at the age of 18 along with tea party activist William Montgomery in 2012. The political pundit gained notoriety debating liberal students, winning over conservative financiers.
Kirk enthusiastically supported President Trump during his 2016 presidential campaign and served as a personal aide to his son, Donald Trump Jr., during the campaign, while also gaining a regular presence on cable news.