Emotions were raw as service began with Christian worship songs – and ended with a political speech from the president
Hours before sunrise in the desert, tens of thousands of mourners snaked through the Valley toward the State Farm stadium in Glendale, Arizona – where the conservative activist Charlie Kirk was lionized as a “prophet” for the streaming era and a defender of free speech, martyred in the line of duty.
The memorial was part spiritual revival and part political rally, with the program that included Donald Trump and prominent members of the president’s Make America Great Again (Maga) movement. Mourners obliged the red, white and blue “Sunday best” dress code request, filling the at-capacity domed stadium with stars, stripes and Maga hats.
