Crowds at Charlie Kirk's vigil go wild as RFK Jr gets standing ovation

The 2,460 seats in the Concert Hall at the John F. Kennedy Center were full to honor slain Turning Point USA founder and conservative activist Charlie Kirk Sunday evening.

Kirk was assassinated on Wednesday by a gunman on the campus of Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, during the first stop of his fall speaking tour, which was scheduled to take him around the country.

Hundreds, if not thousands, of people outside of Sunday's event streamed the prayer vigil on their phones as they were unable to get into the venue, which was packed to capacity.

The vigil was organized by over 80 volunteers, many of them alumni of Kirk's organization. The event both started and concluded with a worship service, a testament to Kirk's Christian faith.

One of the most vocal responses from the crowd came as Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr. called Kirk the 'primary architect of his unification of President Trump.' 

Secretary Kennedy also talked about Kirk's impact on a member of his family, his niece, who packed a bible in her suitcase while heading off to college in Europe so that she could 'live like Charlie Kirk.' 

Over 85 members of Congress were in attendance at the vigil.

U.S House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson was the first speaker to take the stage after emcee Jake Hoffman, a longtime friend of Kirk's and an Arizona state senator, kicked off the speaking cue. 

Johnson said that Kirk 'loved a vigorous debate, but he loved people more.'

'Charlie was never motivated by hate,' Johnson also noted.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, following Johnson, recounted her time as a congressional candidate in New Hampshire in 2022, at the age of 25. 

Leavitt mentioned the help Kirk offered to her race was just one example of how he reshaped the Republican Party, eliminating the 'establishment' that 'no longer exists.'

'When Washington Super PACs poured money into the coffers of my opponents' campaigns, Charlie and Turning Point gave more to me to help me across the finish line. 

'Charlie and his team flew me out to Arizona to introduce me to some of the biggest donors in Republican politics so I could fuel my race.'

'Charlie welcomed me on stage to speak at the Student Action Summit in Florida, to raise national awareness for my candidacy, and to speak directly to young voters,' Leavitt recalled.

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, speaking after Leavitt, said that 'Charlie lived by the principle that no matter how horrible a person's speech may be, their ideas must be defeated by better ideas.'

'It's up to us to continue Charlie's legacy,' Gabbard also noted.

Kari Lake, Senior Advisor for the U.S. Agency for Global Media, was the first speaker to bring up Kirk's reported assassin, Tyler Robinson. 

Kari Lake, Senior Advisor for the U.S. Agency for Global Media, was the first speaker to bring up Kirk's reported assassin, Tyler Robinson. 

'How does a 22-year-old become so filled with hate,' Lake asked, while mentioning that Robinson's parents did a good job raising him, 'by all counts.'

'Charlie is not dead, he's got everlasting life,' Lake also pledged. 

Florida Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna, who worked as Turning Point's Hispanic engagement before her run for Congress, recalled Kirk's impact on her life as she was about to leave for medical school when she was hired for the role at his non-profit.

'I saw Turning Point grow from those early days of a few hundred attendees to conferences with thousands upon thousands of young people all inspired by Charlie's vision,' Luna recalled.

'Turning Point isn't just a nonprofit, it's a movement, a force for change, to empower young conservatives to take a stand,' the Florida Congresswoman added.

One of those young people, James, 22 of Great Falls, Virginia, told the Daily Mail at the Kennedy Center that one thing he learned from Charlie Kirk, was that 'he wanted a very civil country where we could all voice our opinions, regardless of what side we are on.'

Another Virginian, Andrew, 24, shared a similar sentiment with the Daily Mail, adding that a lasting element of Kirk’s legacy is that he was willing to talk to anyone, regardless of party or ideology.

GOP Congressman John McGuire of Virginia's Fifth Congressional District told the Daily Mail at the conclusion of the vigil that the event was both somber, but also optimistic. McGuire also noted that in his district, registrars 'have been getting a lot of phone calls from young people saying, "How do I sign up? How do I register? How do I vote?" So what's happened in my district is probably happening all across the county.'

McGuire added that he spoke with a number of pastors who were also in attendance at Kirk's vigil, all of whom boasted 'record attendance today in their churches.' 

'That right there is something good coming out of something bad,' McGuire concluded.