GOP senators push for Charlie Kirk statue in Trump’s National Garden of American Heroes
In a significant move reflecting the ongoing political discourse in the United States, over a dozen Republican senators, led by Senator Bill Cassidy from Louisiana, have formally requested that the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk be included in President Donald Trump’s proposed National Garden of American Heroes. This ambitious project aims to honor 250 prominent figures from American history with life-size statues, positioning Kirk alongside iconic personalities like Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr., and Amelia Earhart. The proposal comes in the wake of Kirk’s tragic assassination last month while he was speaking at Utah Valley University, a loss that has resonated deeply within conservative circles, prompting calls for various forms of commemoration, including a Presidential Medal of Freedom awarded posthumously by Trump.
The senators emphasized that including Kirk in the National Garden would not only celebrate his contributions but also highlight the importance of civic engagement in shaping American heritage. In their letter, they noted, “Recognizing leaders who encourage participation and dialogue ensures that the Garden reflects both the historical and contemporary voices that continue to shape America.” Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, has expressed her support for the initiative, asserting that her husband “forever changed the direction of this country” and deserves to be honored as a “modern American Founding Father.” This sentiment underscores the significant impact Kirk had on conservative thought and activism, as well as the ongoing efforts to elevate his legacy in the public sphere.
The National Garden of American Heroes was initially established by Trump through an executive order in 2020, with plans to complete the project by July 2026, coinciding with the United States’ 250th anniversary. This initiative has garnered substantial funding and aims to embody the “timeless exceptionalism” of the nation, as articulated by Trump. Each figure selected for the garden is intended to represent the American spirit of courage, loyalty, and excellence. As the proposal gains traction, it has sparked discussions around the broader implications of how contemporary figures are memorialized in the context of American history, particularly in light of the recent surge in political violence and the calls for accountability from various factions within the political landscape.
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FIRST ON FOX:
More than a dozen Republican senators want to see the slain conservative activist
Charlie Kirk
included in President Donald Trump’s proposed pantheon of American heroes.
In a letter to Trump led by Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., the lawmakers requested that Kirk be included in the National Garden of American Heroes, a massive project of 250 life-size statues of some of the country’s most notable figures.
If included, Kirk would join the likes of Abraham Lincoln,
Kobe Bryant
, Martin Luther King Jr., Amelia Earhart and Albert Einstein, among several others, in the proposed statuary park.
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“The inclusion of Mr. Kirk in the National Garden would not only honor his personal achievements but would also underscore the vital role that civic engagement plays in our national heritage,” the lawmakers wrote. “Recognizing leaders who encourage participation and dialogue ensures that the Garden reflects both the historical and contemporary voices that continue to shape America.”
Kirk was assassinated last month in Orem, Utah, while addressing an audience at Utah Valley University. Since then, lawmakers have pushed for a commemorative coin in his honor; he was posthumously honored by Trump with the
Presidential Medal of Freedom
, and his birthday, Oct. 14, was honored as the Charlie Kirk Day of Remembrance.
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The latest move to see a statue of Kirk erected in the proposed park in South Dakota, which would sit near Mount Rushmore, also has the backing of his widow, Erika Kirk.
She said in a statement to Fox News Digital that her late husband “forever changed the direction of this country, and he made it [a] better place for our children, young people and families. Charlie’s legacy will be felt for generations to come.”
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“My husband was a modern American Founding Father, and he deserves every honor and accolade this nation can bestow on him,” she said. “I am grateful to Senator Cassidy and the 14 other senators who have nominated Charlie for this tremendous honor.”
The
National Garden of Heroes
was first established by Trump through an executive order in 2020 and later reaffirmed in one of his last executive orders during his first term in early 2021. It later got an injection of $40 million in funding from his “big, beautiful bill,” which he signed into law in July.
In the order, Trump said that the garden would be “built to reflect the awesome splendor of our country’s timeless exceptionalism.”
“In short, each individual has been chosen for embodying the American spirit of daring and defiance, excellence and adventure, courage and confidence, loyalty and love,” Trump said. “Astounding the world by the sheer power of their example, each one of them has contributed indispensably to America’s noble history, the best chapters of which are still to come.”
Trump’s plan, according to a grant application portal that teed up the project’s ambitious timeline, is to have the marble, granite, bronze, copper or brass life-size statues created and situated in the garden by July 2026 to commemorate the
country’s 250th anniversary
.
Eric
Eric is a seasoned journalist covering US Politics news.
