President Donald Trump posthumously awarded the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk with the Presidential Medal of Freedom award on Tuesday afternoon, on what would have been his 32nd birthday.

“He was assassinated in the prime of his life for boldly speaking the truth, for living his faith and relentlessly fighting for a better and stronger America,” said Trump, speaking from the Rose Garden. “He loved this country, and that’s why this afternoon, it’s my privilege to posthumously award Charles James Kirk our nation’s highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Thank you.”