Trump's Awkward Situation With Erika Kirk Exposes How Out Of Touch He Is

In the wake of the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, President Donald Trump has been positioning himself as a dear friend of the fallen icon. Most notable would be a video produced by the White House, in which Trump calls on Americans to uphold the legacy Kirk was attempting to build. While all of this may make it appear as if he and Kirk were close, Trump's behavior at Kirk's memorial left much to be desired.

According to the Associated Press, during part of his rambling speech, Trump tipped his hand by mentioning he was possibly unaware that the date of the memorial service held a rather significant meaning. "I was going to call," Trump said, divulging that he was going to ask Erika Kirk, Charlie Kirk's grieving widow, to push the ceremony by a few days but "I didn't have the courage to call...Because I heard today was Charlie's birthday." This strange moment points towards the interesting relationship between Trump and Erika — and might indicate he is closer to her than he ever was with Charlie.

But not knowing Charlie's birthday was just the start of Trump making the memorial service all about himself. He also managed to sneak in his White House renovations, perhaps as a way to distract from his fumbling speech.

In true Donald Trump form, the president took to social media to announce that he was moving the memorial for Charlie Kirk from the East Room to the Rose Garden (via X, formerly Twitter). While the president was trying to hype up that "The crowd for Charlie K's Presidential Medal of Freedom presentation is so big and enthusiastic," as the reason for the move, it did allow him to show off what he seems to believe is a successful renovation.

According to a stark compare and contrast post by CNN's Kaitlan Collins, Trump's Rose Garden before and after pictures reveal slabs of concrete taking over what was once lush grass. The patio area is adorned in gold umbrellas and bold tables, making it look like a suburban sandwich shop instead of a White House garden. However, the president was still convinced everyone would love it, continuing in the post that attendees would also be able to "see the Presidential Wall of Fame and the Palm Court renovation."

While Trump was able to eventually get through his speech, even pointing out that the weather was nice for the event, it still felt as if he wasn't prepared to host such a major ceremony. Perhaps he should have left it to Vice President JD Vance, who had a stronger relationship with Kirk.