WASHINGTON (TNND) — Charlie Kirk supporters, Trump administration officials and Republican lawmakers gathered at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 14.

Attendees lined up, and many stood for over an hour before the prayer vigil began. Some could be seen with “Make America Great Again” hats and shirts. One attendee’s shirt read “If genders confuse you, go milk a bull.”

Police vehicles were parked along the drive up to the Kennedy Center, with thousands of attendees packed into the large theater. Some sang and raised their hands as a trio played a Christian religious song at the beginning of the prayer vigil.

Kirk’s Washington vigil was open to the public. The decision came “due to an overwhelming outpouring of support from supporters,” said Republican Arizona state Sen. Jake Hoffman in a news release. Hoffman organized Sunday’s vigil.

According to Hoffman, 85 members of Congress, Trump administration officials and other important individuals were present at the vigil. Hoffman thanked White House officials and House Speaker Mike Johnson for their attendance at Sunday’s vigil.

Hoffman said President Donald Trump “loves Charlie Kirk just like you love Charlie Kirk.”

Kirk is most recognized for his political activism and as the co-founder of Turning Point USA, an organization pushing for conservative politics on high school and college campuses. Kirk, 31, was shot in the neck at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10, where he was starting his “The American Comeback Tour.”

Johnson says Kirk offered a “free marketplace of ideas” more than anyone in history

The crowd loudly chanted, “USA,” as House Speaker Johnson walked to speak at the podium. As the theater boomed with applause, Johnson said Kirk “arguably” offered more for the “free marketplace of ideas” than anyone in American history.

Johnson continued, saying Kirk would not want anyone to be “overcome by despair.”

"He would want exactly the opposite. You know, Charlie Kirk recruited and trained and educated a generation of happy warriors," Johnson said. "And we do well to be reminded that the best way to honor his memory and to honor his unmatched legacy is to live as Charlie did."

Leavitt praises Kirk’s “heroic efforts”

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also spoke at the vigil, praising Kirk for his work in politics. Specifically, Leavitt praised Kirk for building support for President Trump among younger voters.

Leavitt attributed part of Trump's win in November to Kirk’s activism, saying the win was "fueled in no small part by the tireless work of Charlie, the Turning Point organization that he built from scratch out of a garage."

Leavitt said the "heroic efforts of Charlie Kirk, who turned the political tide among young people in this country and helped usher in President Trump's historic victory.”

She continued to describe Kirk’s Turning Point USA as "the true essence of the American dream and the MAGA movement."

“Charlie looked for the outsiders, the up and coming,” Leavitt said.

RFK Jr. talks about his conversation with Kirk

Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. approached the podium while being welcomed with louder cheers than for previous speakers. The crowd broke into loud chants of "USA" and "MAHA," an abbreviation for Kennedy’s "Make America Healthy Again" movement.

Kennedy expressed his appreciation for Kirk’s interest in talking to people he disagreed with.

Kennedy, whose father, late U.S. Sen. Robert F. Kennedy from New York, and uncle, late former President John F. Kennedy, were both assassinated. Kennedy said he once had a conversation with Kirk talking about the danger they both face "from challenging entrenched interests."

"And he asked me if I was scared to die. And I said to him, there's a lot worse things than dying," Kennedy said. One of those fears the two talked about was losing "our constitutional rights and having our children raised in slavery," Kennedy said.

Sometimes our only consolation is that we can die with our boots on. You can die fighting for these things,” Kennedy said he told Kirk.

Attendees describe their grief over Kirk's death

Kirk was set to visit Virginia Tech next in late September, where James Hughes, a senior, studies communications. After learning that Kirk was shot dead, Hughes said he was left shaken and in tears.

"I’ll never forget it," Hughes, 22, told USA TODAY reporters while in line outside the Kennedy Center on Sunday evening, waiting to attend Kirk’s vigil. "When I saw the video of what happened, I literally started crying."

"It just really hit me hard that this actually could happen in this country," he added. Hughes, who politically identifies as a Republican, said he had feared that political violence would flare up before Kirk died.

"It was getting to a very dangerous point, but this really just put me over the edge," he said.

Joseph Castaretto, 19, told USA TODAY he got the chance to ask Kirk a question at a convention four years ago. Castaretto asked: "What do you do when you're somebody who is getting hounded" for political beliefs?

Kirk’s answer to Castaretto was to "stay firm," Castaretto said while standing in front of the Kennedy Center. He said Kirk inspired him to move to Washington, D.C., straight out of high school to intern for Florida congresswoman Laurel Lee.

Castaretto said that Kirk’s killing pushed him further right on the political spectrum.

I want to be ready to fight back. If they’re going to come attack me, I’ll fight back," Castaretto said.