Out-of-town pool note #9 // Highlights from POTUS remarks

POTUS’s remarks wrapped at 4:09pm, ending with him pulling Erika Kirk on stage for a hug. POTUS began his address by running through Charlie Kirk’s story — but the tone of the speech overall was very much that of a traditional Trump campaign rally and touched on his forthcoming autism announcement, tariffs and crime in U.S. cities.

Some highlights, in chronological order:

• On Kirk’s shooter: “A radicalized cold-blooded monster.”
• On the crowd: “He could always draw a big crowd. Look at this today.”
• On the tone of the memorial: “This is like an old-time revival. An old-time revival."
• On one of Kirk’s last asks: “One of the last things he said to me was please, sir, save Chicago. We’re going to do that. Save Chicago."

+ Later in his speech: "We’re going to have Charlie very much in mind when we go into Chicago."

• On Kirk uniting MAGA and MAHA: “He brought together Donald Trump and Bobby Kennedy right here in the great state of Arizona one year ago."
• On his forthcoming autism announcement: “Autism, tomorrow, in the Oval Office, in the White House, about autism, how it happens so we won’t let it happen anymore and how to at least get somewhat better when you have it.” He says it’s going to be “one of the most important news conferences” and says Kirk “would have been front and center."
• On his performance with young male voters in the 2024 election: “A majority of males under 30. Can you believe it?"
• On what he said was the contrast between his approach and Charlie Kirk’s: “I hate my opponent, and I don’t want the best for them … I can’t stand my opponent.”
• On tariffs: “Charlie understood that. He saw the money."
• On Kirk’s assassination: “It was an assault on our most sacred God-given liberties and God-given rights. The gun was pointed at him but the bullet was aimed at all of us … The assassin failed in this quest because Charlie’s message has not been silenced, and now is bigger and better and strong than ever before."
• On awarding Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom (which got a standing ovation from the crowd): “We will do the ceremony at our beautiful White House in a very safe Washington, D.C."
• On Jimmy Kimmel: “The same commentators who this week are screaming fascism over a canceled late night TV show where the anchor had no talent and no ratings.”
• On political violence / free speech: “No side has a monopoly on disturbed or misguided people, but there’s one part of our political community which believes they have a monopoly on truth."

+ "If speech is violence, then some are bound to conclude that violence is justified to stop speech."

• On bringing religion back to America: "We have to bring back religion to America because without borders, law and order and religion you really don’t have a country anymore."

Please refer back to the White House livestream for POTUS’s full remarks and to double check quotes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rufX8cjG1xs

Pool is on the move to the vans.

Megan Messerly

White House reporter

POLITICO