WASHINGTON — September 21, 2025 — President Donald Trump paused briefly to speak with reporters Sunday afternoon as he boarded Marine One for a flight to Phoenix, where he is attending the funeral of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
“We’re here to celebrate the life of a great man. Really a great man. A young man,” Trump said on the South Lawn before climbing the steps to the helicopter. “That something like this could’ve happened is not even believable. Will be a very interesting day. A very tough day.”
Trump said he planned to offer condolences directly to Kirk’s widow, Erika, and the rest of the family. “I’m just gonna give ’em my love. There’s nothing much you can say,” he told reporters. “Talk about the great things he’s done. He’s been amazing. He’s had a tremendous influence. For a young man, he did a great job. A tremendous job. He had a hold on youth because they loved him. They respected him. And if you go back 10 years, those colleges were dangerous places for conservatives. And now they’re hot. They’re very hot. Just like this country is hot. This country is doing so well—we’re the hottest country anywhere in the world.”
The president also fielded questions on an array of other topics before departing. Asked whether he would fire Attorney General Pam Bondi if New York Attorney General Letitia James is not indicted, Trump offered an emphatic defense. “She’s doing a great job. Pam Bondi is doing a great job. I think Pam Bondi is gonna go down as one of the best attorney generals—of the ages,” he said. On James, Trump added, “I don’t do that. I look at the facts like everybody else. She is terrible. She looks like she’s very guilty but that’s gonna be up to the DOJ.”
Pressed on foreign policy, Trump said he would “see what happens with Venezuela,” declining to confirm whether he had received a letter from the country’s president seeking negotiations. On escalating tensions in Europe, he said he would defend Poland and the Baltic states if Russia continues its aggression: “Yeah, I would. I would.”
When asked whether the Pentagon should decide what journalists can report on, Trump replied, “No I don’t think so. Nothing stops reporters.” He also acknowledged being briefed on reports of Russian jets near Estonia. “Yeah, we don’t like it,” he said.
