On Tuesday, President Donald Trump is scheduled to posthumously bestow the Presidential Medal of Freedom upon the conservative youth leader during a White House ceremony.

Taking place in the East Room, the event marks what would have been Kirk’s 32nd birthday and will gather prominent individuals associated with Trump’s political agenda.

This ceremony occurs at a time when negotiations between Israel and Egypt have led to a ceasefire agreement in Gaza, securing the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners. Concurrently, the administration is contending with a federal government shutdown, a consequence of a budget impasse between Republicans and Democrats.

Kirk passed away on Sept. 10, while addressing an event at Utah Valley University, which was meant to be the start of a college campus tour where he would engage students in political debates. A controversial personality with a large audience, Kirk frequently stirred contention by challenging liberal viewpoints. He was known for disseminating unsubstantiated claims, such as Haitian migrants in Ohio consuming people’s pets, labeling the Civil Rights Act a “significant error,” and asserting that fatalities from firearms were an acceptable consequence for preserving Second Amendment protections.

His demise occurred amidst an escalation of political unrest in the U.S. Instances include Trump supporters aggressively breaching police lines to obstruct the certification of presidential election outcomes on Jan. 6, 2021; an attacker assaulting Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband, Paul, with a hammer; a suspected arsonist setting Governor Josh Shapiro’s Pennsylvania residence ablaze while his family slept; the killing of Minnesota House Democratic leader Melissa Hortman in her home; and two assassination attempts targeting Trump during his campaign last year.

Trump and his supporters have pointed to Kirk’s killing as justification for advocating measures they claim combat political violence. During a special episode of Kirk’s podcast last month, hosted by Vice President JD Vance, Vance urged a comprehensive government initiative to probe and disband left-wing groups in the nation that he asserts incite violence. On Sept. 22, the administration declared a domestic terrorist organization, despite the fact that “antifa” does not denote a singular, organized group but rather broadly refers to anti-fascist protestors who lack a formal structure.

During Kirk’s memorial service, held in the crowded State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona last month, Trump asserted that history would perpetually remember Kirk and that “his name will endure eternally in the annals of America’s most esteemed patriots.”

The Presidential Medal of Freedom is typically presented to individuals to acknowledge “a lifetime of notable accomplishments in the arts, public service, science, or other areas,” as per the Congressional Research Service’s description of the accolade. Past honorees of this medal include Babe Ruth, Elvis Presley, Tiger Woods, Rush Limbaugh, Pope Francis, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Anna Wintour, Michelle Yeoh, and Denzel Washington.