Despite his break with Trump, Tech billionaire Elon Musk was also involved at the Kirk mourning celebration. The live broadcast showed how he spoke to politicians of the Republican Party and waved the crowd and even spoke to Trump himself and shook his hand.
On the stage, companions Kirks then remembered the 31-year-old with emotional speeches. Such contributions are common in funeral celebrations in the USA. The political dimension of the event is less common: With greatly religiously charged language, Kirk was presented not only as a deceased, but also as a symbol for the future of the “Make America Great Again” movement he shaped.
The speeches on stage showed how tightly grief, anger, religious messages and political interpretation at the celebration were now. Some called for love and unity, told about personal memories of Kirk. Others struck significantly harder tones and also also linked to the “Great Replacement Theory” – a conspiracy narrative that is spread in extreme right -wing circles, according to which migration and social change should bring about a targeted exchange of the white majority population.
The influential advisor of the White House, Stephen Miller, Schwor, Kirk’s death as a driving force to complete his work. “We’ll be about the powers of injustice and evil victories,” said Trump’s deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller and explained that tears about Kirk’s death had turned into a “fire” that the “enemies” could not understand. “You have no idea which kite you aroused,” said Miller to the address of the perpetrators. “You have no idea how determined we will be to save this civilization, the West and the Republic.”
