The Biggest Headlines from the Charlie Kirk 5 and a Half Hour Memorial

00:00:01
Speaker 1: Hey, there, everybody. It is Sunday, September twenty first. And then Charlie Kirkin memorial just wrapped up with one very powerful moment from his widow, and then there was Trump, Welcome everybody to this episode of Amy and TJ, which we are recording. We had to apologize to our editor, we're getting this to him late. The memorial was supposed to go they said four hours, ended up going five hours and fifteen minute tropes.

00:00:30
Speaker 2: Yes, and it went long, and it took some left turns when President Trump got in front of the mic. There were some poignant moments. There were some very powerful moments, as you pointed out, and then yes, there were some strange ones. I don't know if there's any other way to describe them. Where we I actually we would look at each other and say, what's happening right now?

00:00:53
Speaker 1: I think even objectively uncomfortable, even if you're a fan of the president. I was worried at times about is he okay? I mean, I just thought he was tired, he exhausted, he was going he was rambling at times and injected a whole lot of politics into this speech that we'll get into, but always ended up being forty minutes.

00:01:13
Speaker 2: Yeah, he was, yeah, around there. I don't have the exact time, but it was around roughly forty minutes.

00:01:18
Speaker 1: And you can tell clearly when he was reading the prompter and reading the speech, because that was directed at Charlie Kirk. And then he would go off onto what we hear. We heard about Jimmy Kimmel.

00:01:27
Speaker 2: We heard about Jimmy Kimmel, We heard about Chicago. Yes, we heard about autism. Yes, we heard about a lot of things that I don't believe any of us were expecting to hear. At Charlie Kirk's memoire.

00:01:39
Speaker 1: Even Biden got a mention he did it was look and that was the eulogy probably right that. When you say more so than Eric, I mean Erica spoke, But the one who kind of told the story of Charlie Kirk was the President talking about how he came up. And yeah, he kind of gave the biography. So that was more so about Charlie Kirk and his upbringing.

00:02:02
Speaker 2: If you were learned that he actually was it, I just now realized it probably wasn't President. We listened to so many speakers I had them all mixed up. Was it President Trump or was it Don Junior who said that Charlie Kirk actually wanted to go to West Point, he wasn't able to get in. Like, we started to hear interesting tidbits about his life and the way he got to where he was at the young age of thirty one, but how it all began at the age of eighteen.

00:02:29
Speaker 1: I think Robes it was cool to see his friends talk about him in some of the memories and talk about him in a positive light with nothing having to do with politics. I do think, like you just said, the the way it looked was it might have been exactly what they were going for, but there were times that you would have no idea that you were watching a memorial.

00:02:56
Speaker 2: Absolutely not, No, it looked like a political convent and it looked look and I have no issue at all. And I'm sure a lot of folks loved the idea of a funeral being a sendoff, being a celebration, not being some sad, somber event, and that certainly was not the case there. But standing ovations, pyrotechnics, music, it all felt it just felt strange. I didn't really know what I was watching in moments.

00:03:24
Speaker 1: But yeah, some of the again I'm talking about the folks early on, I thought there was some pretty powerful stories. You were the one that pointed this out to me at one point that at one point Trump was sitting next to someone and this became a hot trending topic everywhere, and I didn't notice it. You.

00:03:42
Speaker 2: You actually had started to walk into the other room. You were still listening, and I said, Babe, oh my god, Elon Musk and President Trump are sitting next to each other right now, and you ran back in because you said I saw him earlier. He was on the floor. We knew he was there, we knew he was in attendance. But apparently at some point he was brought up up to the box or I don't know what you describe, where President Trump was behind glass and the cameras were trained on them, and not only were they seated next to each other, they were very much in conversation. It seemed light, it seemed friendly, and then we see them shake hands. We see President Trump patting him on the back as if they were grand old pals.

00:04:21
Speaker 1: Once again, Okay, that was huge. That was a huge moment. We don't know exactly what that was and what's going to come of it, but these two, as you know, didn't leave things well and it was a very big public billionaire breakup. Everybody saw this bromance shatter.

00:04:38
Speaker 2: Vicious, yes, vicious things said about one another publicly on social media platforms. Yes.

00:04:43
Speaker 1: Absolutely. So this is the first indication, the first thing we have seen publicly to suggest that these two are are cool.

00:04:51
Speaker 2: It was suggested by some folks who were watching this and commenting on it, because, as you said, this was one of the huge trending topics when these images first flash on the screens. But folks said that Charlie Kirk, this was something he actually weighed in on with the president, that he wanted him to be able to mend whatever fences were broken, and he felt like they were able to be able to be repaired. So he wanted them to, I don't want to say get back together, but to repair their friendship, to put the pass behind them, and to move on. So perhaps this in his death at his memorial service, maybe that was a part of the way Trump was recognizing what Kirk stood for and what he was hoping for.

00:05:37
Speaker 1: And look, we don't know if they talked at all behind the scenes before this, but certainly publicly to see these two together after all that, and it looked like he did send them off. Like you said, he shook his hand and kind of pad one of the back like he was about to head back to his seat. But originally I saw him on the floor, so I don't know if he was hanging out in the booth.

00:05:54
Speaker 2: He was for a while, but then he did go away. I mean, he did go back to wherever he was seated. But that was certainly a moment that people will can you need to talk about? And I'm sure the president will be asked, hey, what were you two discussing? What was that conversation we all saw.

00:06:08
Speaker 1: I'm really skipped down here to some of the people who were talking. His pastor came up. He was very sweet, but it was, well, you've gone to church. There's an alter call. Usually at the end of church, if anybody wants to receive Christ, you stand up, you come down, and no da dah. And they did that today at the very beginning. I know you missed the very very beginning, but there was kind of incredible. It kind of gave me chills, to be honest with you, that there was an alter call and he had everybody if you want to receive Christ. Have them stand up it. There were some chilling moments in the very beginning.

00:06:41
Speaker 2: I was raised Catholic. I don't know what an altar call is.

00:06:45
Speaker 1: Usually at the end of pretty much every service, the pastor will after the collection is taken, he's essentially wrapping up. He says, if everybody's here who would like to receive Christ into their life, essentially saying to be baptized, to be saved, come on down the front and you literally in front of the congregation. You stand up in front of everybody and you walk down to the front. And this usually could be a few people, a whole row of people sometimes, but it's always at the end.

00:07:10
Speaker 2: So it's the equivalent of communion for Catholics. So at the end of the Mass, once we've already had the homily and the services wrapping up, everyone gets up and actually receives communion. And Catholics believe they're actually ingesting, taking in the body and blood of Christ with a wafer and wine that has been transformed into the body of Christ and the blood of Christ. So I guess that's as similar as it might be.

00:07:33
Speaker 1: We should we should put this in a religious okay, but.

00:07:36
Speaker 2: You know what speaking of it though. Look, I understand it was a funeral service or a memorial service, but I was actually taken aback at so much of the christ talk. Yes, to hear that from elected officials is not something we normally here. I've never heard anything like that from elected politicians, even if it is in a religious service, even if it is in a church or some sort of setting like that. I have never heard so many cabinet members, elected officials talking about Christ.

00:08:10
Speaker 1: I didn't mind it. I don't mind any public somebody talking about their faith, how religious they are, you knock yourselves out. I actually think it's beautiful sometimes and should be welcomed. There are times, and there were times I think we have them in here we could talk about that. It seemed to turn from not just we love Christ, but if you want to be with us, you damn sure better love Christ as well. When those things are in there, it seems like this group excludes people who aren't exactly like we say they should be, and that means Christianity and scept Christ. So that's fine, except the group saying that happens to be in control of power in the United States of America.

00:09:00
Speaker 2: And that is why we have a separation of church and state. I have no problem at all, Yes, exactly to your point. But when you feel like religion is being politicized, or that somehow it's a requirement of being a part of a political party, that's where it feels a little. I just want I felt a little uneasy hearing some of what I heard, not because it had anything to do with talking about their love of Christ and their love of the Church and how they want to be christ Like and following his teachings in ways. Hell, that would be amazing if more of our politicians had that golden rule in their mind when they voted or made any sort of attempt at legislation, do unto others as you would have done unto you. That's amazing, And that's not what we're talking about. Some of what you know, Don Junior, was a lot about welcome, you're with us, come with us. There was very much a tribal chant, so to speak.

00:09:51
Speaker 1: He was using your one of us, then welcome those kinds of things, and it was preceded each time by if you your blank, if you for if you are for faith, if you are for freedom. It was almost a little test. He did have a rilly inquiry at the end. He also had quite frankly, I thought it was the most charming I've ever seen him. It was. It was funny.

00:10:14
Speaker 2: He had some comedic relief in there and some and it was and it was appropriate. The humor. It was. We needed it, you know, it was. It's a very heavy day obviously, where we're mourning the loss of a young man and a father and a husband, and certainly someone who devoted his life to his passions, into his faith. So yes, it is a dark day. But Don Junior had the right amount of humor and it did work.

00:10:38
Speaker 1: It worked. He did. Don Donald Trump Junior did a and did an impression of President Donald Trump in his face, and he nailed it. Actually, he was really good, probably like a son only could be. But he was making or he was trying to tell this story about sometimes he gets in trouble for putting offensive memes and things online and then he'll have to hear from his dad who gets on to him about it, and robed he was really good and doing an impression of his dad.

00:11:07
Speaker 2: Yeah, I wouldn't even attempt He nailed it and said, yes that his dad sometimes tells him his social media posts are a little too aggressive.

00:11:16
Speaker 1: He was also aggressive. He did have this line about Hillary Clinton and how do they it's it's kamala har.

00:11:21
Speaker 2: How he said kamala. I don't even know how they mispronounce it, but they do it deliberately, it's kamala.

00:11:27
Speaker 1: But this was his line. Saying Charlie Kirk knows more about the Bible than me is like saying Donald Trump knows more about being president than Hillary Clinton or kamala hair Kamala, Kamala.

00:11:38
Speaker 2: I think he's it's kamala. So he said Kamala kamala, like he put the wrong emphasis on the wrong syllable on purpose, deliberately, the wrong emphastist on the wrong syllable. Yah, he did that, and that is that is a thing.

00:11:53
Speaker 1: There also was a theme today of free speech. We heard several people talk about how important it is to defend free speech, including Donald Jr. Who had this line, when people disagree with us, we don't silence them.

00:12:08
Speaker 2: He had that line, and you and I both looked at each other because we have seen in these past ten days or eleven days since Charlie Kirk was assassinated, we have seen several people who have been fired, reprimanded, suspended, and punished for speaking freely, whether you like it or not speaking freely.

00:12:32
Speaker 1: This was a theme today. There were several that spoke of even people has heard interviewed outside the arena. We're saying how important free speech was and that he shouldn't be silenced kind of a thing. So that theme was there also. Jd Vance of course got up to your point rose about politicians talking about the religion. He said, he's talked more about Jesus the past two weeks than he has in his entire public life.

00:12:58
Speaker 2: And I believe that because that's just not something we typically see. I think Jadvans is a proud Catholic. He's talking about it before, so we knew he was a man of faith, and I think that's usually where it begins and ends with most. I mean, we always hear God bless America, God bless you. People certainly invoke their feelings on faith in a higher power. But this was a whole other level.

00:13:16
Speaker 1: I We'll stay here, folks, and we come back. We got specific insights into Erica and Charlie Kirk's marriages. In their marriage, we got it from her today and an absolutely incredible, incredible speech about her husband. And then yes, we'll get into Trump's forty minutes. All right, we continue now talking about the five where we're in fifteen minute Charlie Kirk memorial that just wrapped up a robe just a few minutes ago here as we're recording, and there were I think several olive branches. It was talk of unity at times throughout some of the speeches. JD. Vans even mentioned it's easy in these moments to see the worst in our fellow man, and he said he wondered what Charlie would tell him, so he essentially saying he softened his tone. There was maybe not enough to talk of that because so many people are going to talk about what happened at the end of the memorial. But they did sprinkle some of those moments in there.

00:14:24
Speaker 2: They certainly did. And I did appreciate hearing from JD. Vance and others who knew Charlie Kirk in a way that only they could. You know, we're only learning about him. And look, a lot of us weren't that familiar with him. If you were young, if you were you know, we talked about this, our daughter's age certainly my daughter's age in college or recently graduated. They were very aware of him going to college campuses and talking about his faith and talking about Christ and talking about the MAGA movement. So it's interesting to hear the human side of him and what he stood for and how he really did believe eve in forgiveness and he really did believe in open conversation and open debate. His whole mantra, his whole purpose was in order to avoid violence, we have to be able to use our words. And so that's why he didn't just say what he said. He went to places that were typically more left leaning, more liberal college campuses, and then had open debates with students to try and show them another way of thinking, another way of perhaps looking at the world than what the education they were receiving, which tends to be again, more liberal leaning, and several.

00:15:36
Speaker 1: Of them reference to that. They told him that to his face, like.

00:15:39
Speaker 2: Don't waste your time, Why are you even trying it, Like that's hilarious that you think you can actually convince you more liberal leaning college students to come into a more conservative mega movement. In fact, I believe was it. I think it was John junior. I did think this was funny, he said. I told him just wait till they start having to pay taxes, then we'll bring them in. But he said that Charlie wanted to go in there ahead of time and show especially young men, how to be better met.

00:16:07
Speaker 1: And to that point we found out, right, he's eighteen years old and decides not to go to college. We learned he wanted to go to West Point yep even but starts this organization and grows it in a fairly short time to what it is. Is really really impressive to see hear how he did it. This woman, Rebecca Done I think is her name, who he came to and asked for money. Needed fifty thousand dollars. She sent him off, said you get the first half, we'll give you the second. She say, called her in two days and had the money.

00:16:38
Speaker 2: Yeah. They all talked about how he was a tireless worker. At five am until eleven pm, he was working, working, working.

00:16:44
Speaker 1: Cool stories, right, you're learning about a guy. It humanized him in a lot of ways. Today Erica Kirk of course got up there. It was cute. She said that they stayed close because they shared love.

00:16:54
Speaker 2: Notes every Saturday he wrote her a love note.

00:16:59
Speaker 1: And she got into some parts of their relationship with I thought it was a big deal to give details about what happened right after he was shots had to be hot.

00:17:09
Speaker 2: She said he had a smile on his face. She said he had a slight smile on his face, and that confirmed to her what the doctors had told her, that he died immediately, that he had no pain. In fact, his friend, who was standing twenty five feet from him when the shot rang out, said that even if he had been shot while he was on a hospital operating table, doctor still couldn't have saved him. That's how the bullet went in. It killed him instantly. There was nothing anyone could have done. And so that gave Erica, she said, some peace, knowing that he never experienced any pain.

00:17:40
Speaker 1: I thought that was a pretty powerful detail. Today I did not know that. She said she saw the wound. She went and saw it for herself. She also did add a line that was political. She said that after her husband's death, we didn't see violence, we didn't see riots. That's a familiar theme we see sometimes even from the president.

00:18:05
Speaker 2: And there was I believe a standing ovation after she said that, yes, people. That really brought out a lot of emotion from folks who were there in the arena. Just I mean, and I think that is look, I get it, that is political. But I do think of all the political rhetoric perhaps that we heard today, I don't mind that because to remind people, I mean, I know, we shouldn't be proud of ourselves or patting ourselves on the back for not resorting to violence, to not return violence with violence, but that is how often the world does work. And so I think it is helpful to recognize and applaud even if anyone did feel anger or feel the need to return fire with fire, that that at least was being lauded, that it was a good thing, and they were proud of the people who might have been hurt most by his death to not react violently.

00:18:54
Speaker 1: But then also robe she turned to men and women. She had a call to action, a challenge, as she said, for men and women. So you take her directive to.

00:19:05
Speaker 2: Men, all right, Well, she told men to embrace true manhood. She told them to be strong, to be courageous to their families, to love their wives, and to lead them. That's not going to sit well with a lot of folks. But I'll just go ahead and read this verbatim. Love your wives and lead them, love your children and protect them. Be the spiritual head of your home. But please be a leader worth following. Your wife is not your servant. Your wife is not your employee. Your wife is not your slave. She's your helper. That's when we both turned to each other. Then she went on to say, you are not rivals. You are one flesh working together for the glory of God.

00:19:55
Speaker 1: Just gives insights. I mean, that's how she feels about her house, what it's supposed to look like. That's her description. That's what she wants from men. Okay, this is their message in part of their message, very much so correct.

00:20:09
Speaker 2: Yes, yes, I I think we were both. I think we discussed it afterwards. I was hoping when she was talking about what your wife is not when she said what your wife is, I was hoping as a woman, as as a partner in a relationship, that partner might have been a better word than help.

00:20:30
Speaker 1: He didn't see help her.

00:20:31
Speaker 2: I was hoping for partner. It came out as help help her. And you know, everyone's entitled to yes your marriage the way they wish you and view what gender roles should be within a marriage. That's fine, but that I actually was I was a little shocked.

00:20:47
Speaker 1: There was a lot we might have been anticipating. This wasn't on my no, on my board, No.

00:20:52
Speaker 2: I did not think that. Now she had a challenge for women too. She said, women, I have a challenge for you. Be virtuous. Our strength is found in God's design for our role. She went on to say, we are the guardians, we are the encouragers. We are the perseverers. Guard your heart, everything you, everything in you, everything in you flows from it. And if you're a mother, that is the single most important ministry you have. But it is interesting, and look, I think that is a shared belief by many, but it is interesting with all of these roles and defining what women's role in the household is, what men's role in the household is, the fact that now she is taking over as CEO is going to be interesting to see how she marries those two things, because part of the message is they talk about we should be able in this country to have a single income and be able to support our families. We shouldn't have to have both mom and dad working outside of the home. And that's not what that is not what it's best for American families. And I get that, but it's just going to be interesting to see how she balances now taking on a role as CEO, taking over her husband's role, and also focusing.

00:22:10
Speaker 1: What she's supposed to do, what she's supped to do. Really, she's going to have to balance like so many other women in this country. Uh yeah, it happens. It sucks, But in her life and her choices, they were not hers. She ended up in this position. So I'm root for this young lady. I'm room filled kids.

00:22:36
Speaker 2: I am absolutely and I think again that powerful statement about her forgiving the man who murdered her husband, that was remarkable. That was the brightest moment of the entire five hours and fifteen minutes.

00:22:49
Speaker 1: My i's got wide. I could not believe you said that. Could you imagine saying that?

00:22:56
Speaker 2: No? No, no, And anytime I hear anyone say that publicly, pretty quickly after some horrific murder, whether it's your husband, it's your child, When I hear people be able to almost immediately forgive, I then say, you know what, that is some powerful faith, because only through faith, only through a relationship with God, and only through a relationship of that higher power could you be able to say that as a human being.

00:23:21
Speaker 1: Well, Trump finally got up, already passed the time that it was supposed to be over, but he goes forty so minutes. But he did start talking about the nation in morning, talked about us being robbed of one of our brightest stars. He started talking about Charlie and he decided in fifth grade to be a Christian and talk about how he started turning point USA and was on his twenty sixteen campaign. But Robes, things started going sideways when he told us about an oval office. Sounds like a pretty big announcement tomorrow.

00:23:52
Speaker 2: Ah. Yes, he says that they are going to announce that they have or will be solving autism in this country. So that came out of complete left field. That was I actually I think we had to rewind it and listen to it again. Did he actually just talk about solving autism?

00:24:12
Speaker 1: Okay?

00:24:14
Speaker 2: Super confused?

00:24:15
Speaker 1: Okay, So he deviated several times and this is just one of the topics. Now, Robes, he'd talk about he disagreed with Charlie. This idea that's supposed to love your opponent. Was that what he was saying?

00:24:26
Speaker 2: Yes, yes, he said that Charlie absolutely believed and that is the teaching of Christ one hundred percent love the enemy, right, So yes, he said, that's where I disagreed with Charlie. I hate my opponent and I don't want the best for them.

00:24:39
Speaker 1: He said hate.

00:24:40
Speaker 2: Very he said hate.

00:24:41
Speaker 1: He could have banged on a table when he said it, and.

00:24:43
Speaker 2: I think afterwards he apologized Erica. I know Erica probably wouldn't agree with me, and but then he reiterated it, I hate my opponent, I don't like them, and I don't want what's best for them.

00:24:53
Speaker 1: Again, Memorial Service, he did mention. Radicals of Vague News tried to silence him. He went on for a little while about ten.

00:25:01
Speaker 2: I don't know what to say about that.

00:25:03
Speaker 1: There was a Biden insult. I can't remember what it was, but that was a Biden insult about MAGA.

00:25:07
Speaker 2: He said that Biden was against MAGA. How could you be against MAGA? Because does Biden not know what MAGA stands for making America great? Against? So how could Biden be against that? So, yes, he did bring that up.

00:25:19
Speaker 1: And he had an applause line. He just stopped and said anybody loved Maga in here and got a big applause line. He did mention Rove the bullet. He said, it's aimed at every one of us, talking about this person was taking a shot at the United States right freedom.

00:25:34
Speaker 2: Maybe it making America great again, but yes, he said that bullet was intended for all of us.

00:25:38
Speaker 1: He did tell us that yes, this word has come out, but yes, he made an official presidential Medal of Freedom he's going to give to him. But then Robes, he started talking about the takeover of Washington. So we stopped crime in Washington took twelve.

00:25:52
Speaker 2: Days, yes, And then he also talked about He said, you could bring your wife onto the streets of Washington, DC and go out to dinner. She could go by herself and she'll perfectly safe. He also talked about Chicago and said that Charlie Kirk it was one of the last things that Charlie said to him was please save Chicago.

00:26:08
Speaker 1: Wow.

00:26:08
Speaker 2: So he brought that up as well. And Memphis too, Yes, said that they had an incompetent governor.

00:26:15
Speaker 1: These were some of the times where he was totally offscripts.

00:26:19
Speaker 2: And this is where at least the new York Times was reporting that hundreds, they said, of people started to leave their seats and walk towards the exits, probably because they had been sitting there for very very long periods of time, but also because they realized he had stopped talking about Charlie Kirk.

00:26:33
Speaker 1: He did a lot. I don't know what the percentages, but he didn't. He deviated a lot. Yes, started insulting the governor. He also mentioned the DOJ. He's told his investigators to look into networks of radical left lunatics.

00:26:48
Speaker 2: So does he mean the main networks that That's what It seemed as though he was referring to the mainstream media.

00:26:55
Speaker 1: And he took this opportunity to say that Jimmy Kimmel has.

00:26:58
Speaker 2: No talent without saying his name, but we all know it. He did not say his name, but he said, you know, I think he says something like a certain late night someone lost who lost his job last this week, and it's because he has terrible ratings and has no talent. That's what he said. Yeah, So he referenced Jimmy Kimmel very directly and very specifically, without saying his name.

00:27:19
Speaker 1: And that was it, folks. Five hours and fifteen minutes of moving, touching, jaw dropping speeches I did. I learned a lot about him today and I appreciate knowing that stuff about him. The rest of it's going to get headlines, we get it.

00:27:35
Speaker 2: But it was fascinating to watch. It was educational to watch. It was shocking at times, but it was moving in other moments. And so yes, it had a little bit of something for everyone. Like we said, it was poignant, it was powerful, but at times head scratching.

00:27:52
Speaker 1: And with that, folks, in case you didn't watch it, now you know what she missed. We did that five hours and fifteen minutes for you. Now. I'm t J.

00:28:00
Speaker 2: Holmes and I made me Roeboch. We will talk to you again real soon. H