Karoline Leavitt Honors Charlie Kirk 1 Year After His Assassination as She Urges Americans to 'Pair Our Prayer With Action': 'Nobody Did This Better'

Former White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt delivered a speech at the Republican midterm convention in Dallas, Texas, honoring the legacy of late conservative influencer Charlie Kirk on the first anniversary of his assassination on Thursday, September 10.

Her remarks focused on faith, family, and civic duty, urging voters to mobilize ahead of the upcoming election.

Leavitt, 29, emphasized her personal routines as a mother, sharing that she prays over her children's cribs every night. She said Americans are called to "pair our prayer with action" rather than rely on faith alone.

"I know I'm not alone in saying I pray over my children's cribs every night,” she said. "As mothers, as parents, as Americans, we are called to pair our prayer with action. Nobody did this better than our dear friend Charlie Kirk."

She pointed to Kirk — the Turning Point USA co-founder who was shot and killed at a college rally — as the ultimate example of someone who successfully put his beliefs into political and cultural action.

Leavitt concluded her message with a direct appeal to voters, urging them to take their values to the ballot box on November 3.

"On November 3rd, pair your prayer with action and get out and vote,” she said.

Critics and media commentators mercilessly mocked Leavitt for opening her speech with the line, "I like to speak the truth," and claiming it felt better to speak to a stadium of patriots than journalists.

Opponents argued that her entire legacy as White House press secretary involved defending and repeating controversial and unverified claims.

Political opponents took issue with her harsh characterization of Democrats. During the speech, she claimed that Americans could not build wealth if they elected "extreme, liberal, socialist Democrats who will raise our rent and taxes, take away our private property and kill the American dream."

Critics flagged this as highly polarizing, divisive rhetoric meant to inflame voters rather than offer a substantive policy platform.

Secular critics and opposing commentators raised concerns regarding her explicit command to "pair your prayer with action" at the ballot box.

Similar to past controversies surrounding her use of religious imagery and leading loud prayers before press briefings, observers argued that using an official political platform to explicitly align conservative voting with religious devotion was a weaponization of faith.

Detractors of the MAGA movement also criticized her elevation of Kirk as a "martyr" and the standard-bearer for civic action.

They argued that honoring his polarizing campus activism leaned on racism and bigotry, ignoring the deep cultural divisions and misinformation his organization often faced scrutiny for during his career.