Charlie Kirk’s colleagues and pastors praise his patriotism as Trump readies highest civilian honor

The friends, colleagues and pastors of Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk are celebrating his life and legacy promoting faith, family and patriotism as President Donald Trump prepares to award him the nation's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, on Tuesday. 

"Although he was taken from us far too soon, his legacy will inspire generations to come and outlive us all," "The Charlie Kirk Show" executive producer Andrew Kolvet told Fox News Digital. "He represents the very best of America and is deserving of this and every other possible accolade. Thank you to President Trump for quite literally shifting world events to honor Charlie on what would have been his 32nd birthday." 

"Only Charlie could do that," Kolvet added. 

Kirk was assassinated Sept. 10 while attending a TPUSA event at Utah Valley University's campus. The conservative movement leader was sitting under a tent while chatting with students when a shot rang out and struck Kirk in the neck, killing him.

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Following Kirk's shocking assassination, Republicans and conservatives have championed his legacy of promoting family values, upholding the Constitution and spreading his Christian faith would continue. 

Trump announced in September that he would posthumously award Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom, calling him "a giant of his generation, a champion of liberty and an inspiration to millions and millions of people." 

"I have no doubt that Charlie's voice and the courage he put into the hearts of countless people, especially young people, will live on," Trump said Sept. 11 when announcing he would award Kirk the honor. 

TPUSA's Chief Operating Officer Tyler Bowyer told Fox Digital that the award ceremony will be felt by every youth who has been involved with the conservative advocacy group. 

"Charlie will be honored today on behalf of the millions of conservative activists he helped lift up to save the movement and the country. Today in the White House this award will be felt by every young man and young woman who was impacted by his work. They can wear it too by carrying on doing the work," Bowyer said. 

David Engelhardt, lead pastor of Kings' Church New York City and board member of TPUSA, told Fox News Digital that it's a "profound privilege to be able to witness this moment recognizing Charlie’s courage, conviction, and leadership in defense of faith and freedom."

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"Charlie is the right recipient to the Medal of Freedom because he believed that God’s moral order found in faith is not a limit to freedom but the soil it grows in," the pastor and friend of both Charlie Kirk and his wife, Erika. "People who destroy that soil in the name of safe-spaces and to protect against ‘dangerous ideas’ will soon find their land barren. Charlie stood for freedom rightly ordered and founded in the gravity of God’s system."

Kolvet added in his remarks on Kirk that the conservative powerhouse's deep faith and calls to protect freedom and the Constitution will continue to invigorate Americans even after his death. 

"Charlie devoted his entire being to saving America, and in many ways, he accomplished even more than that," Kolvet said. "He proved that the blessings of liberty could be passed down to a whole new generation, even when so many believed all hope was lost. He proved them all wrong. In both life and death his message sparked a revival of faith and freedom all across the world, an impact we’ll never fully understand." 

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Kirk is set to receive the highest civilian honor from a president Tuesday at 4 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. marks what would have been Kirk's 32 birthday. The Presidential Medal of Freedom is awarded to individuals that presidents determine have made exceptional contributions to the country. 

Rob McCoy — Kirk's longtime pastor, friend and co-chair of TPUSA Faith — added in comment to Fox News Digital that Kirk "paid the ultimate sacrifice" to promote and protect freedom. 

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"Charlie Kirk contended for freedom his entire adult life and paid the ultimate sacrifice to protect and defend this inalienable right given to mankind by The God Charlie trusted and loved," McCoy said. 

Following Kirk's death, his widow, Erika, was elected TPUSA's new chief executive officer to carry on her husband's legacy of rallying younger generations with conservative principles. 

"I feel a sense of deep gratitude to Erika Kirk and the entire Turning Point USA team for their tireless work in continuing to shape a generation grounded in truth and purpose," Engelhardt added. 

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The award ceremony will be held at the White House and comes on the heels of Trump's return from the Middle East earlier Ruesday after Trump announced an end to the war in Gaza, which has has raged since 2023. 

Bare-bottomed bikers roll through rain to shout at feds in blue city's latest anti-ICE stunt

A cheeky group of cyclists tried a unique new anti-ICE protest tactic in Portland, Ore., bearing their rear-ends alongside their rage and resistance.  

A nude bicycle gang rolled up to the city's immigrant detention center on a rainy Sunday, blasting music over a loudspeaker while some yelled "F--- ICE" and made obscene gestures towards federal agents, as seen in a video posted to X by The Post Millennial's Katie Daviscourt. 

Some had slogans written on their bare bodies, including "No Kings," and "No human being is illegal." A handful of federal agents overlooked the unclothed open border enthusiasts from a rooftop, with two pulling out their phones in an apparent effort to record the salacious scene. 

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Other agents who were forming a barricade on the street retreated several yards from their positions to make way for the nudist riders. 

The protest was a stark contrast from the city's typical anti-ICE charades, some of which have turned violent and have now spanned several months. The typical Antifa members, covered head-to-toe in black clothing in order to avoid identification, were nowhere to be found. 

Reactions online ranged from anger to mockery. 

"If you want to strut around naked in public, where kids can see you, then I see you as a mentally ill pedophile who belongs in jail. No sane state allows this," said conservative commentator Robby Starbuck. "You can do all the naked stuff you want in your house WITHOUT KIDS but NOT in public. No sane person disagrees with me."

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"I have a feeling a bunch of illegals saw this and just threw up their hands and self-deported rather than be subjected to whatever this is," Turning Point USA president Andrew Kolvet said. 

"The Antifa ‘cavalry’ just arrived. Good gawd [sic]," said podcaster Kyle Becker. 

But the naked Sunday afternoon riders provided only a brief distraction from months of destruction that have gripped the city while far-left agitators clash with federal officers almost nightly. 

Back in June, a mob launched fireworks, smoke grenades and threw rocks at federal law enforcement, as they broke glass and forcibly entered the facility. 

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In September, rioters rolled a guillotine into the street in front of the federal law enforcement facility. Four federal officers were injured during the assault. 

A Portland Police Bureau sergeant appeared to blame those documenting the violence for the violent clashes. 

"Despite repeated advice from officers to stay away from the ICE crowd, they constantly return and antagonize the protesters until they are assaulted or pepper sprayed," an email from Sgt. Andrew Braun exposed as part of the city's lawsuit against President Donald Trump said. 

Braun added that, "these 3 counter-protesters continue to be a chronic source of police and medical calls at ICE."

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