Trump skips Charlie Kirk vigil at Kennedy Center after weekend at Bedminster golf club
WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump skipped emotional vigil for slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk after spending the weekend at his Bedminster golf club in New Jersey.
Although he snubbed the high-profile gathering in Washington, Trump addressed Kirk’s death the night before at a private gala hosted at his residence, where he described the suspected killer, Tyler Robinson, as having become “radicalized.”
What was Trump’s schedule on Sunday, September 14?
According to the official White House press schedule, Trump had no public events listed on Sunday, September 14.
He returned to the White House at 6:30 pm, just as long lines were forming outside the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, where a vigil for slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk was already underway.
The event, which began at 6 pm, drew 85 members of Congress along with prominent MAGA figures, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, and White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. Although Trump did not attend the vigil, his absence was noted and addressed. During an emotional speech, Leavitt spoke on his behalf, saying, “I speak on behalf of the president when I say President Trump loved you, Charlie, so much.”
White House Press Sec Karoline Leavitt: “I speak on behalf of the President when I say, ‘President Trump loved you so much, Charlie, too.’” @DailyCaller pic.twitter.com/JNGQY0nk20
— Natalie Sandoval (@NatSandovalDC) September 14, 2025
Other speakers reinforced Trump’s connection to Kirk. Arizona Senator Jake Hoffman, a close friend of the late activist, told the crowd, “We know there are two special individuals in that big, beautiful White House that care about Charlie Kirk, don’t we?” He added, “President Donald J Trump and Vice President JD Vance love Charlie Kirk just like you love Charlie Kirk,” earning loud applause from the audience.
Trump reassures plans to attend Charlie Kirk's funeral next weekend
Although President Trump did not attend the prayer vigil for Charlie Kirk, he reaffirmed on Sunday, September 14, that he plans to be at Kirk’s funeral next weekend in Arizona, following his upcoming state visit to the United Kingdom. “It’s a very sad weekend in the sense that we lost a great person,” Trump said. “We’re going to Arizona, taking some people with us on Air Force One.”
When asked whether first lady Melania Trump would join him at the funeral, Trump appeared unsure. “I didn’t ask her that, but a lot of people are [going]. We’re going to Europe, so we’re going to be doing that. I haven’t even thought of it. I’ve been thinking about other things,” he told reporters.
Building on remarks he made the night before at Bedminster, Trump once again took aim at the “radical left,” a group he accused of celebrating Kirk’s death online. He said his administration had already launched investigations into foreign nationals living in the US who participated in online celebrations over the killing.
“The problem we have is on the left,” Trump said. “And when you look at the agitators, you look at the scum that speak so badly of our country, the American flag burnings all over the place, that’s the left. That’s not the right.” He added, “We wouldn’t celebrate if something happened on their side. And we don’t. These are sick people. These are really deranged people.”
MAGA allies pay tribute to Charlie Kirk
In President Trump’s absence at the prayer vigil, several key allies stepped in to honor Charlie Kirk. House Speaker Mike Johnson delivered a powerful speech, describing a wave of “unspeakable sadness, grief, anger, and even fear” following Kirk’s death.
"We remember that our dear friend Charlie would never want us to be overcome by despair. He would want exactly the opposite. You know, Charlie Kirk recruited, trained, and educated a generation of happy warriors. And we do well to be reminded that the best way to honor his memory… pic.twitter.com/nLJhkyumJo
— The Kennedy Center (@kencen) September 14, 2025
“It’s as if a dark shadow was cast over our country and certainly here, even on Capitol Hill,” Johnson said. “The leaders of the nation have been shaken, as have university students and college students and young people all across the country. It’s as if the ground was shifted beneath us.”
"The important work that’s being done every day right down the street from here at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, which I witness, to restore American greatness, is happening in large part due to the blood, sweat, and tears that Charlie poured into this movement, not just during the… pic.twitter.com/YRdWuJvk01
— The Kennedy Center (@kencen) September 14, 2025
Johnson praised Kirk for “recruiting, training, and educating a generation of happy warriors.” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also credited Kirk for her own political rise, calling his influence “heroic.” She said he helped shift young voters toward Trump and was the first to call and congratulate her when she became press secretary.
