Security boosted as thousands attend Kirk's memorial service

Thousands of mourners dressed in red, white and blue made their way through security to attend a Sunday memorial service for Charlie Kirk at an Arizona football stadium, where President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and other top Republicans were to pay tribute to the assassinated right-wing activist.

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Christian rock music blared through loudspeakers and pictures of Kirk were set on easels throughout the walkways of the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, which has a capacity of more than 63,000.

Crowds of people, many dressed in their Sunday best, had arrived before dawn to get inside to mourn Kirk, who was killed onstage in Utah on September IO as he debated with college students.

Traffic jammed the surrounding roads, and overflow space was set up at another arena nearby.

Trump, speaking to reporters before flying to Arizona, said he hoped the service would be “a time of healing” and spoke of his young political ally’s influence, crediting him for building support for Republicans through his conservative student activist group, Turning Point USA.

"He did a tremendous job, and he had a hold on youth because they loved him," Trump said. "If you go back IO years, those colleges were dangerous places for conservatives and now they're hot. They're very hot, just like this country is hot."