The president made the announcement Thursday, one day after Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, pundit, and conservative political activist, was shot and killed on the campus of Utah Valley University.

Trump made the announcement when speaking at the Pentagon, commemorating the 24th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attack.

"Before we begin, let me express the horror and grief so many Americans have at the heinous assassination of Charlie Kirk," Trump said. "Charlie was a giant of his generation, a champion of liberty and an inspiration to millions and millions of people."

"I'm pleased to announce that I will soon be awarding Charlie Kirk, posthumously, the Presidential Medal of Freedom," Trump said. "The date of the ceremony will be announced. I can only guarantee you one thing, we will have a big crowd, very, very, big."

Trump also paid tribute to Kirk's wife Erika and two young children.

"We miss him greatly, and yet 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," the president said.

Vice President JD Vance traveled to Salt Lake City, Utah, on Thursday to meet with the Kirk family, The Hill reported.  Subscribe for free to Breaking Christian News here

Fred Lucas is chief news correspondent and manager of the Investigative Reporting Project for The Daily Signal. He is the author of "The Myth of Voter Suppression: The Left's Assault on Clean Elections."

To receive daily emails from Breaking Christian News to your inbox CLICK HERE

Pakistani Christians Rally for Equal Rights

New York Town Bans Christians from Erecting Displays in Public, While Allowing Islamic and Other Symbols

Artificial Ignorance: The Political Falsehoods of Leading AIs

Mom and Daughter Forced to Cover 'XX/XY' Shirts at State Farm Arena in Support of Sophie Cunningham, While Pro-Trans Message Appeared on Jumbotron (Video)

Iran: 60-Day Ceasefire Ends, Trump Confirms IRGC Backchannel Peace talks, Calls for Iran's 'White Flag of Surrender' (Video)

Exposed: 1,000 Fake Marriages, Tens of Millions in Fraud

Trump Administration Announces Historic Funding for Faith-Based Humanitarian Orgs, Samaritan's Purse, World Vision and More

US Missionary Freed from 9 Months in Captivity After White House Prioritized His Rescue

Trump Effect: Prescription Drug Prices Fall At Record-Breaking Pace

Dem Senate Nominee and Muslim El-Sayed in the Hot Seat after 'Sickening' Animal Control Record Goes Viral on Social Media

A 7-Year-Old Boy's Preventable Death Demands an End to Polite Silence

Mom Sues School that Retaliated Against Her for Objecting When It Subjected Her Kids to Trans/Intersex Propaganda

WNBA Embarrasses Itself with Absurd Embrace of Everything It Isn't

Hospitals 'Got Rich' and Were 'Mutilating' Children; Vance, HHS Officials Announce Report

Dutch Sheets, Lou Engle Rally Believers for Breakthrough in Iran: 'Pivotal Moment in History'

Podcaster Robby Starbuck Gets a Win against Google AI Chatbot's Horrendous Defamation, and Gives Us All a Warning

Miracle as Mother Trapped for 36 Hours Underneath Rubble from Colombia Earthquake Is Pulled Out Alive

Extreme Irony: Ex-Southern Poverty Law Center CFO Charged In Brazen Scheme to Secretly Pay $1.2M to White Supremacist Groups

Secret Service Switched Trump's Plane Over Iranian Threat

Karoline Leavitt Raised the Bar for All White House Press Secretaries to Come