Trump shares Charlie Kirk’s last request to him before his death at emotional Arizona memorial

GLENDALE, ARIZONA: President Donald Trump gave a long, mostly unscripted speech Sunday at the funeral for conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

The venue was a packed Arizona pro-football stadium, where the tone swung from condolences to policy boasts to barbs at the media. Trump even claimed Kirk made one last plea to him before he died.

Trump recalls Charlie Kirk's last request

In the course of his remarks, Trump rehashed one of Kirk’s final asks for him. “One of the last things he said to me was, 'Please, sir, save Chicago,'” the president recalled, apparently referencing his recurring pitch about sending federal law-enforcement personnel to the Windy City to fight crime.

Trump pivoted from that plea to tout an unrelated upcoming policy move.

“I think we found an answer to autism. We're going to be talking in the Oval Office about autism, how it happens,” he said at Kirk’s memorial service. “So, we won't let it happen anymore, and how to get at least somewhat better when you have it so that parents can help their child.”

He also referenced his administration’s “announcement on autism,” a separate item noted in news reports this week that will include a statement from health officials linking Tylenol to the condition in children.

Charlie Kirk and alleged shooter Tyler Robinson

Trump remembered Kirk as a figure who “inspired millions” and called him a “patriot who devoted his life to the cause of open debate.”

Kirk notably founded Turning Point USA, a nonprofit that pushes conservative ideas on college campuses and beyond. The funeral came after Kirk was shot dead while participating in a public debate with students at Utah Valley University on September 10.

Authorities say Tyler Robinson, 22, is the alleged shooter. He was captured after a widely publicized manhunt that lasted more than 30 hours. Robinson allegedly told investigators he’d had “enough” of the “hatred” Kirk was spreading.

CDC, autism claims, and resignations

Trump's reference to an “announcement on autism” follows other federal moves in the same zone. Post-speech coverage included the Wall Street Journal reporting that officials will link Tylenol to autism in children.

That comes on the heels of a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention decision last week to fund a study exploring whether vaccines cause autism. The CDC, World Health Organization, and other certified health organizations have found no link between vaccines and autism to date.

Trump’s comments come amid turmoil inside federal health ranks. Several top CDC officials have resigned, citing what they called the “weaponization of public health.” At the same time, Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr has been pushing changes to vaccine schedules for children, pregnant women, and seniors.

Trump's 'war' on Chicago

It's worth noting that Trump has been loudly promising to send National Guard troops and immigration agents to Chicago, even amplifying the rhetoric earlier this month with a parody “Apocalypse Now” image showing helicopters and explosions.

He captioned the post, “I love the smell of deportations in the morning,” adding, “Chicago about to find out why it’s called the Department of WAR.”

Illinois Democrats have pushed back and vowed legal fights. Governor JB Pritzker blasted the plan on X. “The president is threatening to go to war with an American city,” Pritzker wrote over an image of Trump’s post. “This is not a joke. This is not normal.”

He added, “Donald Trump isn’t a strongman, he’s a scared man. Illinois won’t be intimidated by a wannabe dictator.”

Trump has been keen to underline what he sees as expansive presidential authority.

“Most people are saying, ‘If you call him a dictator, if he stops crime, he can be whatever he wants’ — I am not a dictator, by the way,” he told a crowd last month, before adding, “Not that I don’t have — I would — the right to do anything I want to do.”

He later reiterated, “I’m the president of the United States. If I think our country is in danger — and it is in danger in these cities — I can do it.”

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