President Donald Trump has revealed he will attend the funeral of Charlie Kirk, though arrangements have yet to be announced.
The 31-year-old conservative activist was assassinated during an event he was hosting Wednesday at Utah Valley University in Orem, just north of Provo. A suspect was arrested when a family member turned them in after seeing photos released by the FBI, authorities said.
Kirk's body was transported to a Phoenix funeral home on Thursday after arriving in Arizona onboard Air Force Two, the plane reserved for the vice president. Vice President JD Vance and Second Lady Usha Vance escorted Kirk's casket aboard the aircraft alongside members of Kirk's family, including his wife, Erika.
Kirk most recently resided in Arizona, where his nonprofit political youth organization, Turning Point USA, is based.
While funeral arrangements were pending as of Friday, a service is expected to take place in Phoenix, and President Donald Trump said he plans to be in attendance.
Kirk, a suburban Chicago native, was a top podcaster, culture warrior and ally of the president. He led an effort to remake the GOP's get-out-the-vote effort in the 2024 election based on the theory there were thousands of Trump supporters who rarely vote but could be persuaded to do so.
At 18, he co-founded Turning Point in the Chicago suburbs with William Montgomery, a tea party activist. They aimed to take their ideas for low taxes and limited government to college campuses. Kirk served as a personal aide to the then-candidate's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., during the general election campaign.
Kirk also was known for provocative statements on race that he used to court Gen Z voters.
His killing was the latest in a string of attacks on U.S. politicians that have targeted members of both major parties. Republicans and Democrats alike were swift to condemn Kirk's assassination.
Trump ordered flags lowered to half-staff and issued a presidential proclamation. The president, who sustained a minor ear injury when he was shot at a campaign event last year, said he and Kirk had a close relationship.
"He wanted to help young people, and he didn't deserve this," Trump said Friday.