President Donald Trump's plan to award the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk with the Presidential Medal of Freedom would mark a "worthy acknowledgment," but the slain man's influence has already been assured by his work, former Rep. Pete King said on Newsmax on Sunday.
"Charlie Kirk made his mark on me," the New York Republican told Newsmax's "Wake Up America Weekend." "He left a lasting imprint on American politics, American society, and American culture."
Kirk, at just 31, had millions of followers and "such an impact, almost like a disproportionate impact for one person who never held office," King added.
"He was very young, and yet he was able to achieve so much," he said. "I have to give him tremendous credit. So I think the Medal of Freedom is certainly a worthy acknowledgment. But even beyond that, I think it's going to be what he's done and what he's spoken."
King also praised Utah Gov. Spencer Cox for handling the investigation "with class and dignity and very appropriately" after Cox called for the death penalty for the shooter who gunned down Kirk on Wednesday.
"If there's any case that warrants it, it's this one," he said. "If I were on the jury, if I were the judge, I would impose the death penalty."
Former Rep. Jack Kingston, R-Ga., also on Sunday's show, recalled Kirk's early efforts with Turning Point USA and said he admired his willingness to challenge liberal dominance on campuses.
"Charlie Kirk did not accept that," he said. "He said, no, I'm going to go to the heart of the lion's den and preach the conservative gospel, if you will. And to the degree that he said, prove me wrong here. Here's the facts. And it was a peaceful debate. It was challenging debate. It was provocative, but it was still always peaceful. And then he always threaded in his Christian belief and his belief in Jesus Christ as a follower. But he did not force that on anybody. He just was a great witness. And I think that's why the hard left, the radical left, was so afraid of him because he was effective, converting thousands and thousands of young people."
Kingston added that Kirk's message emphasized Western civilization and Judeo-Christian heritage without claiming superiority over others. "He didn't preach that we were better than anybody. He just preached that we were better off," he said.
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Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.