As the procession of speakers made its way up the chain of conservative command, the service turned further towards setting a political agenda for the aftermath of Kirk’s murder. The goal immediately is “achieving victory in his name,” White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller said.
Miller also made appeals to faith, reflecting in his speech on how the angels wept for Kirk. But the tears had turned into fire, he said, and “that fire burns with a righteous fury that our enemies cannot comprehend or understand.”
In this stew of rage and spirituality, the speakers built a cumulative testimony to Kirk’s own rhetorical style, as displayed on college campuses throughout the country during his advocacy career. It was, for all its provocations, a tactic that reached its way to the political approach of the White House’s senior most figures and had some apparent unifying effect on them. Shortly before the president spoke, Musk and Trump had what appeared to be a friendly reunion as they overlooked the service.
Kirk’s widow Erika, whom his organization Turning Point USA recently announced as his successor as CEO, was one of the day’s final two speakers, and struck a conciliatory note as she spoke of the suspect in Kirk’s murder. “I forgive him,” Erika said through tears. It had been her husband’s mission, she added, “to slash young men just like the one who took his life.”
Addressing his and Kirk’s followers, Trump momentarily kept the temperature low, reflecting in sweeping terms on the activist’s legacy and his love for country. “This is not an arena, it’s a stadium,” he said, admiring Kirk’s reach.
But as he switched tacks, touting his plans to crack down on crime in Chicago and other punitive measures he had in mind for perceived adversaries, Trump claimed, smiling proudly, that there was a key difference between him and the college debate enthusiast he was mourning. The faithful tones yielded, as his remarks stretched on, to an oppositional stance.
“I can’t stand my opponent,” Trump told the audience.
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