Washington DC - President Donald Trump bragged about surviving his own assassination attempt as he posthumously awarded Charlie Kirk the highest civilian honor.

Handing the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Kirk's tearful widow, Erika, Trump compared the far-right commentator to Socrates, Saint Peter, Abraham Lincoln, and Martin Luther King.

The Republican also used the somber ceremony at the White House to vow to redouble his crackdown on all political dissent, launched following Kirk's shooting.

"In the wake of Charlie's assassination, our country must have absolutely no tolerance for this radical left violence, extremism and terror," Trump told an audience of the country's conservative elite.

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He also found time to boast about dodging a bullet during the July 2024 attempt on his life.

"They fired sniper rifles at ICE agents, and me," Trump said. "But I made a turn at a good time. I made a turn at a good time. I turned to the right. Charlie couldn't believe it, actually. He said, 'How the hell did you make that turn?'"

The State Department on Tuesday said it had revoked visas of at least six foreign nationals who had "celebrated the heinous assassination" on social media.

Kirk was shot dead on a Utah college campus last month, sparking a wave of grief among conservatives and promises of a clampdown from Trump that has seen National Guard troops sent to several Democrat-run cities.

Kirk's widow Erika thanked Trump for flying back from a Middle East peace trip for the medal ceremony, which fell on what would have been her late husband's 32nd birthday.

"You have given him the best birthday gift he could ever have," she said, dabbing away tears. She added that Kirk "would probably have run for president" if he had not been assassinated.

Tyler Robinson has been charged with Charlie Kirk's murder. He faces the death penalty if convicted.