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President Trump on Monday signaled he may deliver remarks at Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk’s upcoming memorial service and said the suspected assassin of the conservative activist was likely radicalized online.
While speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump described the background of the suspected shooter, saying he may have turned to extremism after consuming radical left-wing content online.
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“It seems like he has wonderful parents, born in a wonderful neighborhood. … And then, something happened to him over a fairly short period of time,” Trump said. “It looks like he was radicalized over the internet, and it’s radicalized on the left.”
The president also confirmed he plans to attend, and may deliver remarks at, Kirk’s memorial on Sunday at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona — home to the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals. The venue, which has the capacity to host 63,400 people and can be expanded to 73,000 for “mega-events,” will likely be filled to capacity, he added.
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“It’s going to be big,” Trump said. “I’m going to be at the stadium, and I guess I’ll say a few words. I don’t know, but I guess I will, but I knew him very well. He was an amazing guy. He was all about young people and getting them started.”
Trump — who also called Erika Kirk a “tremendous” person — pointed out that Turning Point USA may now grow to be bigger than “it could have ever been.” The nonprofit organization received more than 37,000 requests for new campus chapters in just 48 hours following Kirk’s death.
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The last time the President spoke to Kirk was when the conservative activist invited him to speak at an event at the last minute, Trump recalled.
“You can’t do that to me, Charlie,” Trump said. “But usually I ended up going. He was great. He was a great guy. And he didn’t deserve this. He didn’t deserve this. Believe me.”
When asked if Rep. Ilhan Omar should lose her committee assignments over her comments about Kirk, Trump called her a “disgraceful” and “disgusting” person.
“I think she’s a disgraceful person,” he said. “You know, I think she’s a disgraceful person, a loser.”
Doors for the memorial at State Farm Stadium will open at 8 a.m. local time, and the program will begin at 11 a.m., according to the website created for the event. Interested attendees can register online, and the event is first come, first served.
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