Trump Calls Presidential Medal of Freedom ‘Much Better’ Than Medal of Honor

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Former President Donald Trump stirred controversy on Thursday by claiming that the Presidential Medal of Freedom is “actually much better” than the Medal of Honor. Speaking at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, Trump was praising Miriam Adelson, whom he awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom while in office.

“Miriam, I watched Sheldon Adelson, her late husband, sitting so proud in the White House when we gave Miriam the Presidential Medal of Freedom. That’s the highest award you can get as a civilian, it’s the equivalent of the Congressional Medal of Honor, but civilian version. It’s actually much better, because everyone gets the Congressional Medal of Honor – that’s soldiers. They’re either in very bad shape because they’ve been hit so many times by bullets, or they’re dead,” Trump said.

Trump’s remarks are the latest in a series of controversial statements about military service. His comments have drawn criticism, especially from those who view them as disparaging towards military personnel and their sacrifices.

In the past, Trump faced backlash for his remarks about Senator John McCain, a Vietnam War hero, whom he controversially dismissed as “not a war hero” because McCain had been captured. Trump has also been accused of referring to fallen soldiers as “losers” and “suckers” during a 2018 trip to France, which he has denied.

Sarafina Chitika, spokesperson for the Harris-Walz campaign, condemned Trump’s latest comments. “Donald Trump knows nothing about service to anyone or anything but himself. For him to insult Medal of Honor recipients, just as he has previously attacked Gold Star families, mocked prisoners of war, and referred to those who lost their lives in service to our country as ‘suckers’ and ‘losers,’ should remind all Americans that we owe it to our service members, our country, and our future to make sure Donald Trump is never our nation’s commander in chief again,” Chitika said in a statement.

The event where Trump made his comments focused on combating antisemitism, with Adelson, who is Jewish and has supported Trump’s reelection efforts, introducing him. Sheldon Adelson, Miriam’s late husband, was a major Republican donor and supported Trump’s presidency until his death in 2021.