美国总统唐纳德·特朗普(Donald Trump)周二在他32岁生日之际，追授保守派活动人士查理·柯克(Charlie Kirk)美国最高平民荣誉总统自由勋章(Presidential Medal of Freedom)。
仪式在新装修的白宫玫瑰园举行。
艾丽卡·柯克(Erika Kirk)接受了这一奖项，她含泪讲述了丈夫的生活和遗产。在一个特别激动的时刻，她说她曾问她3岁的女儿，她想对父亲说些什么作为生日礼物。
“爸爸生日快乐，”她说女孩的信息是这样写的。“我想给你一个毛绒玩具。我要你吃一个冰淇淋蛋糕。我想让你去给我一个生日惊喜。“我爱你，”她是这么说的。"
特朗普说:“今天，我们在这里纪念并记住一位无畏的自由战士，一位前所未有地激励下一代的敬爱领袖，一位具有最深刻信念、最优秀品质和最高才能的美国爱国者，已故的伟大查理·柯克。”
“五周前，我们的国家失去了这位非凡的冠军，”特朗普说。
9月10日，柯克在犹他谷大学发表演讲时遭到致命枪击，这是他“美国复出之旅”的第一站，该活动邀请大学生就热点问题进行辩论。
特朗普当天晚些时候第一个宣布柯克去世，第二天他表示将授予柯克总统自由勋章，因为他称赞转折点美国创始人是“他这一代的巨人”。
众议院和参议院以前批准一项决议将10月14日柯克的生日定为“全国纪念日”
颁奖仪式之前，特朗普在前往中东庆祝他帮助促成的以色列和哈马斯之间的停火协议后，于周二凌晨赶回华盛顿。
特朗普周二表示，他考虑打电话给艾丽卡·柯克，将活动推迟到本周晚些时候，但他表示，在意识到这是柯克的生日后，他决定不这样做。
总统和艾丽卡·柯克之前在亚利桑那州柯克的追悼会上分享了一个发自内心的时刻，在特朗普的闭幕词和艾丽卡·柯克说她已经原谅了杀害她丈夫的凶手后拥抱。
周二，特朗普称赞艾丽卡·柯克“令人难以置信的力量”，并讲述了一个故事，他说查理·柯克在他们见面时告诉过他。
“我们会永远支持你。特朗普说:“我们会一直陪在你身边，陪伴你美丽的孩子。”。柯克死后留下了他的妻子和两个年幼的孩子。
“我们永远不会忘记你的家人为我们的国家做出的牺牲，”特朗普说。
柯克是对构建特朗普运动有影响力在年轻的保守派中尤其受欢迎。他是特朗普的关键盟友，也是他政府内部许多人的朋友。但他对枪支暴力、性少数群体问题、种族等问题的一些评论经常招致自由主义者和其他人的批评。
“我们将把他的名字永远载入真正的美国英雄的永恒名册。他是真正的美国英雄，一个了不起的人，”特朗普说。
Trump posthumously awards Charlie Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom
President Donald Trump on Tuesday posthumously awarded conservative activist Charlie Kirk the nation's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, on what would have been his 32nd birthday.
The ceremony took place in the newly-renovated White House Rose Garden.
The award was accepted by Erika Kirk, who delivered tearful remarks on her husband's life and legacy. In one especially emotional moment, she said she had asked her 3-year-old daughter what she would like to say to her father for his birthday.
"'Happy birthday daddy,'" she said the girl's message read. "I want to give you a stuffed animal. I want you to eat a cupcake with ice cream. And I want you to go have a birthday surprise. I love you,' it's what she said."
"Today, we're here to honor and remember a fearless warrior for liberty, a beloved leader who galvanized the next generation like nobody have ever seen before, and an American patriot of the deepest conviction, the finest quality and the highest caliber, the late, great Charlie Kirk," Trump said.
"Five weeks ago, our nation was robbed of this extraordinary champion," Trump said.
Kirk was fatally shot on Sept. 10 while speaking at Utah Valley University on the first stop of his The American Comeback Tour, which invited college students to debate hot-button issues.
Trump was the first to announce later that day that Kirk had died, and the next day said he would be be awarding Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom as he hailed the Turning Point USA founder "a giant of his generation."
The House and Senate previouslyapproved a resolutionto mark the date of Kirk's birthday, Oct. 14, as a "National Day of Remembrance."
The medal ceremony came after Trump rushed back to Washington in the early hours of Tuesday morning after a trip to the Middle East to celebrate a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas that he helped broker.
Trump said Tuesday he considering calling Erika Kirk to move the event to later this week but said he decided not to after realizing it was Kirk's birthday.
The president and Erika Kirk previously shared a heartfelt moment on stage at Kirk's memorial service in Arizona, hugging after Trump's closing remarks and after Erika Kirk said she'd forgiven her husband's killer.
On Tuesday, Trump commended Erika Kirk's "unbelievable strength" and recounted a story he said Charlie Kirk told him of when they met.
"We will always be here for you. And we're always going to be here for your gorgeous, beautiful children," Trump said. Kirk is survived by his wife and their two young children.
"We'll never forget what your family has sacrificed for our country," Trump said.
Kirk wasinfluential in building Trump's movementand was particularly popular among young conservatives. He was a key ally to Trump and a friend to many inside his administration. But some of his comments on gun violence, LGBTQ issues, race and more often drew criticism from liberals and others.
"We're entering his name forever into the eternal roster of true American heroes. He's a true American hero, an amazing person," Trump said.
