US President Donald Trump has awarded conservative activist Charlie Kirk a posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom, as the State Department said it was revoking visas of six foreigners for making comments about his murder.
"Today we're here to honour and remember a fearless warrior for liberty, a beloved leader who galvanised the next generation like nobody I've ever seen before, and an American patriot of the deepest conviction, the finest quality and the highest calibre, the late great Charlie Kirk," Trump said at a ceremony at the White House on Tuesday.
Trump said Kirk was assassinated "in the prime of his life for boldly speaking the truth, for living his faith and relentlessly fighting for a better and stronger America."
"He loved this country, and that's why this afternoon, it's my privilege to posthumously award Charles James Kirk our nation's highest civilian honour, the Presidential Medal of Freedom," he added.
The Presidential Medal of Freedom is a "big deal," Trump said.
"Very few people get it. Very few people, frankly, qualify. It's a decision of the president, but it's a qualification that's a very hard one to get," he added.
His wife, Erika Kirk, accepted the award on behalf of Kirk.
"Thank you, Mr President, for honouring my husband in such a profound and meaningful way," she said.
Visas cancelled
Simultaneously, the Trump administration has revoked the visas of six foreigners deemed by US officials to have made derisive comments or made light of the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk last month.
The State Department said on Tuesday it had determined they should lose their visas after reviewing their online social media posts and clips about Kirk, who was killed while speaking at a Utah college campus on September 10.
The six foreigners who had their visas revoked were from Argentina, Brazil, Germany, Mexico, Paraguay and South Africa. They were not identified.
Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio "will defend our borders, our culture, and our citizens by enforcing our immigration laws," the State Department said. "Aliens who take advantage of America's hospitality while celebrating the assassination of our citizens will be removed."
Vice President JD Vance and other top US officials have encouraged people to call out offensive language about Kirk that they see online. In an unusual tweet last month, Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau asked social media users to copy him on any relevant posts, saying he was personally "disgusted to see some on social media praising, rationalising, or making light of the event, and have directed our consular officials to undertake appropriate action."
