The Veterans of Foreign Wars criticized Donald Trump’s “flippant” comments Friday after the former president called a civilian award “much better” than the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest military award.
“These stupid comments not only diminish the meaning of our nation’s highest award for valor, but also grossly characterize the sacrifices of those who risked their lives above and beyond the call of duty.” VFW National Commander Al Lipphardt said in a statement.
The statement from one of the nation’s largest veterans organizations comes after Trump compared the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, to the military award during a campaign event in Bedminster, New Jersey on Thursday.
“That’s the highest award you can get as a civilian, it’s the equivalent of the Congressional Medal of Honor, but in a civilian version,” Trump said, referring to GOP megadonor Miriam Adelson who the civilian award from him in 2018.
He continued, “It’s actually much better because everyone gets the Medal of Honor from Congress, they’re soldiers. They are either in very bad shape from being hit by bullets so many times, or they are dead. She gets it, and she’s a healthy, beautiful woman. And they are judged equally. But she got the Presidential Medal of Freedom.”
Lipphardt said that when a candidate for commander in chief of the military “so brazenly rejects the courage and reverence symbolized” by the Medal of Honor and its recipients, they should ask themselves whether they can take on the responsibilities with “the seriousness and the discernment necessary for such a powerful position.”
“It is even more disappointing when these comments come from a man who has already served in this noble office and, quite frankly, should already know better,” added Lipphardt, a U.S. Army veteran.
Lipphardt said in a statement earlier this month: had praised both Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris for choosing veterans as their running mates.
JS reached out to the Trump campaign, which was not immediately available for comment.
Trump has a history of making controversial comments about soldiers and veterans, including most notably denying claims that he called American service members who died in World War I “suckers” and “losers.”
He has also gone after the late Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) several times, both before and after his death in 2018.
Trump earlier this year mocked the late senator for injuries he suffered during his time in the military and declared in 2016 that McCain was not a “war hero” before noting that he likes people “who haven’t been captured.”
Trump’s running mate and Navy veteran, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), was asked about it on Friday what he would tell veterans who think the former president’s Medal of Honor comments were “demeaning.”
“I don’t think that complimenting and saying a nice word about someone who has received the Presidential Medal of Freedom is in any way denigrating those who receive military honors,” said Vance, who has Harris’ running mate Tim Walz attacked in Minnesota. military service of the governor.
“They’re two different awards and I think the president said some nice things about someone he liked, and that’s a perfectly reasonable thing to do.”