Trump declared on Thursday that the Presidential Medal of Freedom, a civilian award, is “actually much better” than the Medal of Honor.
Donald Trump is receiving a lot of negative press for his contentious statement on the esteemed Medal of Honor. After declaring that the Presidential Medal of Freedom is “much better” than the highest US military medal, the former president infuriated soldiers. In a statement, Kamala Harris’ team criticized Trump’s comments as well, claiming that he “knows nothing about service to anyone.”
Trump’s Medal of Honor remark leaves veterans furious
At a news conference on Thursday at his New Jersey golf club, Trump made comparisons between the two trophies. The former president asserted that the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which is awarded to civilians, is “actually much better, because everyone gets the Congressional Medal of Honor, that is, soldiers… they are either dead, or in very bad shape, because they have been hit by bullets so many times.”
“These asinine comments not only diminish the significance of our nation’s highest award for valor, but also crassly characterize the sacrifices of those who have risked their lives above and beyond the call of duty,” said Al Lipphardt, national commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, in a statement in response to his insensitive remarks.
Kamala Harris’ campaign slams Trump’s comments
A representative for Harris’ team echoed similar sentiments when they stated that voters “owe it to our service members” to reject Trump. Sarafina Chitika stated, “Donald Trump knows nothing about serving anyone or anything other than himself.”
“It should serve as a reminder to all Americans that we have a duty to ensure that Donald Trump never leads our country once more. His insulting of Medal of Honor recipients follows in the footsteps of his attacks on Gold Star families, mocking of POWs, and derogatory remarks about those who gave their lives in service to our country.”
