At the event, which was billed as a discussion on combating anti-Semitism, Trump reported that he had awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Miriam Adelson, the widow of casino magnate Sheldon Adelson and a major donor to Trump’s campaign. He contrasted this civilian award with the Medal of Honor, falsely referring to it as the “Congressional Medal of Honor” and claiming the two awards were “equal.”
“I have to say, Miriam, I saw Sheldon sitting so proudly in the White House when we awarded Miriam the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which is the highest award you can get as a civilian,” Trump said during a pro-Israel event. “It’s the equivalent of the Congressional Medal of Honor, but the civilian version – it’s actually much better, because everybody gets the Congressional Medal of Honor, they’re soldiers, even if they’re in very bad shape because they’ve been hit by bullets so many times or they’re dead.”
“She gets it and she’s a healthy, beautiful woman,” Trump said to applause. “They are equal.”
In response to the backlash, Republican vice presidential candidate Senator JD Vance defended Trump’s comments, stressing that they were not a denigration of military honors.
“I don’t think he’s in any way disparaging the individuals who have been awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by complimenting them and saying a nice word about them,” Vance told reporters during a campaign appearance in Milwaukee. “They’re two different awards. And I think the president said some nice things about a person he liked, and that’s perfectly reasonable.”
Vance, who noted that he had not seen Trump’s comments in full, added that the former president “loves our veterans.”
Brian Hughes, a spokesman for Trump’s campaign, later clarified that Trump’s remarks referred to the emotional difficulty of awarding the Medal of Honor to veterans killed or wounded in combat, and stressed that Trump had proudly awarded the Medal of Honor in his capacity as commander in chief.
The comments, however, drew strong criticism. Sarafina Chitika, a spokeswoman for Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign, responded sharply, saying, “Donald Trump knows nothing about serving anyone or anything but himself,” and urged voters to prevent Trump from becoming commander in chief again.
Trump’s comments could also undermine Republican efforts to challenge Democratic vice presidential candidate Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota over his military service, complicating their campaign strategy.
The controversy follows a series of comments by Trump that have been perceived as disrespectful to the military and raises questions about his relationship with soldiers as he seeks to return to the presidency.
