Trump, 79, Launches Rambling Tribute at Charlie Kirk Memorial

President Donald Trump quickly veered off-course as he took the stage to memorialize his close ally Charlie Kirk, Julia Ornedo reported for The Daily Beast.

Kirk’s youth organization, Turning Point USA, was pivotal to Trump’s rise to power. (Photo: Charlie Kirk Facebook)

Trump’s lengthy speech at the massive Arizona memorial for the conservative firebrand began with praise, calling Kirk “our greatest evangelist for American liberty,” but soon unraveled into a sprawling soliloquy on tariffs, “radical left maniacs,” and the Make America Healthy Again movement, among other topics.

Trump remembered Kirk as a conservative who sought to bridge gaps with political opponents but admitted he did not share that trait.

“He was a missionary with a noble spirit and a great, great purpose. He did not hate his opponents. He wanted the best for them. That’s where I disagreed with Charlie. I hate my opponent, and I don’t want the best for them. I’m sorry,” Trump said.

Kirk’s youth organization, Turning Point USA, was pivotal to Trump’s rise to power.

His eponymous podcast, where he regularly advanced right-wing ideology, propelled him to prominence in MAGAworld and earned him exclusive access to Trump’s inner circle.

In his speech, Trump digressed further by boasting that his on-again, off-again tariffs were “making us rich again, richer than anybody ever thought was possible,” and patting himself on the back for sending the National Guard to Washington, D.C.