Trump Awards Charlie Kirk Presidential Medal of Freedom

6 HOURS AGO·UPDATED 6 HOURS AGO

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Above: President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington, D.C. on Oct. 8, 2025. Image copyright: Francis Chung/Politico/Bloomberg/Getty Images

The Spin

Right narrative

Kirk deserves this honor for his extraordinary contributions to American liberty and free speech. He courageously defended constitutional principles, built the most prominent conservative youth organization, and died protecting the free exchange of ideas that Thomas Jefferson knew was essential to the American experiment.

FOX News Federalist

Left narrative

Kirk's assassination was a horrific and unjustifiable tragedy, but canonizing him as a free speech martyr is dishonest. He was a divisive figure whose extremist rhetoric included attacking gay and transgender rights and calling the Civil Rights Act of 1964 a mistake. His assassination has unfortunately elevated formerly fringe views into mainstream political discourse — honoring him this way normalizes extremism.

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