The many speakers at Sunday’s memorial service for Charlie Kirk filled the event with solemnity but also with joy.
Indeed, Erika Kirk, Charlie’s widow, gave us perhaps the most memorable and important moment any of us will ever witness when she modeled Christian charity by publicly forgiving her husband’s assassin, thereby exhibiting the grace and peace that comes with letting go of one’s hatred.
Meanwhile, leave it to the Trumps to provide some much-needed laughter that happened to send an equally important Christian message.
Earlier in the service, Donald Trump Jr., son of President Donald Trump, took the stage.
“I’m not widely known for being a sentimental guy,” Trump Jr. said in a clip posted to the social media platform X. “Anyone who’s seen me on social media knows I’m far more likely to crack a joke or get myself in trouble for posting some grossly inappropriate memes than I am to shed a tear.”
Having established a self-deprecating tone, the president’s son then pointed to his father, also in attendance.
“I know this because I’ve even gotten a call from that guy a couple times,” he added.
As he recalled what the president said, Trump Jr. good-naturedly mimicked his father’s voice and mannerisms.
“‘You know, Don,’” Trump Jr. continued. “‘Don. You’re getting a little aggressive on social media, Don. Relax.’”
Would Charlie have enjoyed Don Jr.’s impersonation?
The crowd erupted in laughter and cheers as the president waved.
Readers may view Trump Jr.’s remarks in the clip below. His self-deprecating comments, followed by his teasing of the president, occurred within the clip’s first 50 seconds.
Don Jr pic.twitter.com/qxd9i58Bek
— Lance (@LanceMahan56338) September 21, 2025
Later, the president himself provided another moment of appropriate laughter through self-deprecation.
“He did not hate his opponents. He wanted the best for them,” Trump said of Charlie Kirk.
The president, however, could not eulogize the slain Christian martyr nor extol the virtues of love and charity without reminding us that justice, as well as our own need for repentance, remains part of the equation.
“That’s where I disagreed with Charlie,” Trump added. “I hate my opponent, and I don’t want the best for them. I’m sorry.”
The crowd of mourners laughed at the pure, Trump-ian honesty.
“I am sorry, Erika,” the president continued, well aware that, as usual, he had struck exactly the right tone. “But now Erika can talk to me and the whole group, and maybe they can convince me that that’s not right, but I can’t stand my opponent.”
More laughter ensued, prompting even Trump himself to chuckle.
“Charlie’s angry, looking down, he’s angry at me now,” the president said with a laugh.
Trump talks about the one thing he disagrees with Charlie Kirk on
Grace to opponents
“A missionary w/ a noble spirit..he did not hate his opponents, he wanted the best for them..that’s where I disagree..I hate my opponents, I don’t want the best for them”pic.twitter.com/cpOMzf3MTJ
— yeet (@Awk20000) September 21, 2025
In short, while Erika Kirk modeled Christian charity, both Trump Jr. and his father modeled Christian humility through self-deprecating laughter. That kind of humility can only come through honesty.
To understand Christian humility through honesty, imagine its opposite. Imagine, for instance, if former President Barack Obama spoke on a similar occasion. Whatever words might have come from his mouth, we know that Obama would have posed as virtuous, lectured us, then carried out his self-interested schemes in private.
Trump, on the other hand, spoke the truth. He admitted that he cannot wish his persecutors well. He said, in effect, “Erika can forgive, but I can’t.”
In other words, one must recognize the message beneath the self-deprecating laughter. There is a kind of humility that consists of the following: “I invite you to look at my many flaws and laugh at them with me. I’m not always the kind of person I should be, and I’m definitely not as good as Charlie. Like everyone, I need to repent. In the meantime, however, as others forgive, I will pursue justice.”
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