The Kennedy Center said that a Sunday evening vigil for slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk drew a “full house” of mourners, including top Republican officials.
Among those in attendance in the 2,460-seat concert hall in Washington: House Speaker Mike Johnson, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.
A spokesperson for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, where President Donald Trump has installed a loyal board that named him chair, said there was “not an empty seat” in the concert hall on Sunday evening.. There were “hundreds, if not thousands, of people outside streaming the prayer vigil on their phones,” the spokesperson said
Kirk was fatally shot last Wednesday during an event at Utah Valley University. The conservative activist, who founded the right-wing college group Turning Point USA, was 31. His assassination sparked condemnations from top Republican and Democratic officials, derogatory online statements that have cost some social media posters their jobs, as well as various vigils and memorial services.
“It’s as though a dark shadow has cast over our country,” Johnson, the Republican house speaker, said at Sunday’s vigil in Washington.
The program at the Kennedy Center opened with prayerful performances by Christian singer and songwriter Sean Feucht.
Some attendees were searching for seats an hour after the planned 6 p.m. start time. The Kennedy Center said on the social media platform X that an overflow crowd was directed to its Grand Foyer.
Leavitt spoke about Kirk’s support of her and other young Republicans through his Turning Point organization.
“Charlie looked for the outsiders, the up-and-coming truth tellers with new ideas who weren’t afraid to challenge the status quo,” she said, adding that Kirk was among the first to reach out to her after she was tapped as White House press secretary. She said he sent her a congratulatory text that she will keep forever.
Overflow crowd in the Kennedy Center’s Grand Foyer outside the memorial for Charlie Kirk pic.twitter.com/4dmEX9kU5P
— The Kennedy Center (@kencen) September 14, 2025
Kirk’s funeral is scheduled for next week in Arizona, followed by a Sept. 21 memorial service at State Farm Stadium.
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