The president was joined by the Turning Point USA founder’s widow, Erika Kirk, who now serves as the group’s CEO, and claimed the recognition was the best present for her late husband.

“Honestly, President Trump, I have spent seven and a half years trying to find the perfect birthday gift for Charlie, and it’s so difficult. And those of you that have spouses or loved ones, you know how difficult it is sometimes to buy a gift for someone that you love because he wasn’t a materialistic man, so that also did not help,” Kirk said. “But now I can say with confidence, Mr. President, that you have given him the best birthday gift he could ever have.”

Erika Kirk also read a birthday message from her daughter to her father, in which she said: ” ‘Happy birthday, daddy. I want to give you a stuffed animal. I want you to eat a cupcake with ice cream. And I want you to go have a birthday surprise. I love you,’ is what she said.”

Trump said he was “honored” to be joined by Kirk and reiterated how much her late husband loved her.

Argentine President Javier Milei, who had earlier held a bilateral meeting with Trump, also joined the ceremony, as did many high-profile members of the White House, including Vice President JD Vance, and wife Usha Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Attorney General Pam Bondi, FBI Director Kash Patel, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, and press secretary Karoline Leavitt.

Other Republican lawmakers, such as House Speaker Mike Johnson, Sens. Rick Scott (R-FL),
Ted Cruz (R-TX), and Mike Lee (R-UT) attended the event, as did former and current Fox News hosts, including Bill O’Reilly, Tucker Carlson, Laura Ingraham, and Sean Hannity.

Tuesday also marked the National Day of Remembrance for Kirk, a resolution the House and Senate passed in September.

Kirk was shot and killed on Sept. 10 at Utah Valley University by alleged gunman Tyler Robinson, sparking public outcry over political violence.

The Tuesday event comes after Trump brokered a peace deal between Israel and Hamas, bringing an end to a two-year battle, and returned from an overseas trip to the Middle East.

“I returned from a very historic trip to secure peace in the Middle East, people said that couldn’t be done. Charlie felt it could be done,” Trump said.

The president wanted to reschedule the Medal of Freedom ceremony, but as it coincides with Kirk’s birthday, he decided against it.

“I would not have missed this moment for anything in the world, nothing,” said Trump.

“Thank you for making this event a priority … amid the peace process in the Middle East. Thank you, very grateful,” Kirk later told Trump.

In the wake of Kirk’s death, his widow has vowed that Turning Point USA will continue to spread its message across the nation on college campuses.

“To the Turning Point USA chapters that are watching all across America right now, you are the heartbeat of this future and of this movement,” she said. “Everything that Charlie built, you guys are the legacy holders of that. You are living proof that his mission did not die with him. It lives through you. And Charlie always said the next generation will decide whether freedom endures. And because of you, I know that freedom will endure.”