Erika Kirk accepts husband's Presidential Medal of Freedom award: 'Best birthday gift'

Erika Kirk, the widow of the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk, accepted her husband's posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom award on Tuesday, which was awarded on what would have been his 32nd birthday. 

Charlie Kirk was assassinated last month at a rally in Utah. Erika Kirk has since taken over her husband's organization, Turning Point USA, and promised to keep the mission alive to honor her late husband's memory.

Erika Kirk thanked President Donald Trump for awarding her husband with the highest civilian award and said it was the "best birthday gift he could ever have."

"I have spent seven and a half years trying to find the perfect birthday gift for Charlie," she said in remarks during the ceremony. "Now, I can say with confidence, Mr. President, that you have given him the best birthday gift he could ever have."

She also recalled how she told her daughter to think about what she would say to Charlie Kirk if he was still alive, and her daughter said she wanted to give him a stuffed animal and eat cupcakes with ice cream.

Erika Kirk additionally repeated her vow to continue her late husband's legacy, stating that she intended to see her husband's mission through and urged other Americans to pick up the torch that Charlie Kirk left behind.

Erika Kirk was chosen to lead Turning Point USA and has vowed to continue campus tours and other outreach programs and events that Charlie Kirk held throughout the years. 

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.