Trump plans Israel, Egypt trip before Charlie Kirk medal ceremony

President Donald Trump said Friday that he plans to travel to Israel and Egypt before quickly returning to Washington, D.C., to honor the late Charlie Kirk with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian award.

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said that he would address the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, and then visit Cairo as part of his trip to commemorate the historic peace agreement signed between Israel and Hamas. The conservative activist is expected to return to the White House to honor Kirk on Tuesday, Oct. 14, what would have been his 32nd birthday.

TRUMP CLOSED HIS TRIP TO ENGLAND WITH A 350 BILLION DOLLAR TECHNOLOGY DEAL AND GOES TO ARIZONA FOR KIRK’S MEMORIAL SERVICE

“It’s not easy for me to get back. It’s a very quick trip, but I’ll make two important stops and then I’ll be on the plane to get back to Charlie in time,” Trump said Friday. “They’re going to have a great celebration at the White House, in the East Room of the White House.”

The President will arrive in Israel early Monday, where he is expected to give a speech to the Knesset and meet with recently released hostages, an Israeli official said. Times of Israel. According to the peace agreement, Hamas must hand over all 48 hostages, living and dead, within a 72-hour period starting Friday night local time.

“They’re taking them, and they’re also taking about 28 bodies. It’s a tragedy,” Trump said. “…I’ll go to Israel. I think I’ll speak in the Knesset early, and then I’ll go to Egypt.”

TRUMP SAW THE STATEMENTS AT THE CHARLIE KIRK MONUMENT IN ARIZONA, THE CRIMES OF THE SUSPECT’S RADICALISM WERE REVEALED

Egypt will host an international summit in the Red Sea resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh on Monday to finalize the peace deal. More than 20 world leaders, including Trump, are expected to attend, an Egyptian presidential spokesman said on Saturday, according to Reuters.

“I’m going to go to Cairo, I think we’re going to go there as opposed to where the signing is going to be,” Trump told reporters. “We also have many leaders from all over the world. I know they were invited.”

Argentinian President Javier Milei, Israeli Parliament (Knesset) Speaker Amir Ohana, and Israeli President Isaac Herzog attended a session of the Israeli parliament at the Knesset headquarters in Jerusalem in June. (Menahem Kahana/AFP via Getty Images)

Trump is scheduled to return to Washington on Tuesday for a White House ceremony honoring Kirk, who was assassinated during an outdoor event at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10.

“And then I come back, I think this is for Charlie Kirk on Tuesday night, my friend, a friend of all of us, a friend of a lot of people here,” Trump said.

The president called the event a “wonderful celebration” and noted that the activist’s widow, Erika Kirk, and many others will attend.

TRUMP GOES TO ENGLAND FOR A RARE SECOND STATE VISIT, THEN TO ARIZONA FOR CHARLIE KIRK’S FUNERAL

“We award him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which is the highest honor you can receive other than the Congressional Medal of Honor, one military and one civilian,” he said. “But it’s the greatest honor and his beautiful wife Erika will be here and a lot of people will be here.”

Charlie Kirk was assassinated during an outdoor event at Utah Valley University on September 10. (Trent Nelson/Salt Lake Tribune/Getty Images)

Trump first announced last month that he would award Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously.

CLICK TO REACH THE FOX NEWS APPLICATION

“I will soon award Charlie Kirk a posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom,” Trump said at the time. “The day of the ceremony will be announced and I can guarantee you one thing. We will have a huge crowd. Very, very big.”

Hamas on Thursday agreed to a peace deal under which Trump ends the war in Gaza and returns hostages, two years after the terror network attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.