Donald Trump has suggested changing the law so he can give himself the Congressional Medal of Honor, bragging about his bravery in the same breath he mused about soldiers who lost their limbs in war.
In a meandering speech in Georgia on Thursday, the draft-dodging president recounted trying to give himself the medal after visiting Iraq in his first term but was talked out of it by his advisers.
“I’ve given out so many to guys that are seriously brave—I mean, they come in with—the arms are missing, the legs are missing, the stories are so unbelievable,“ Trump said. ”And I said: it’s a little stretch if I gave myself one of them.”
He added: “But it’s one of those things—someday I’m going to try.”
The Medal of Honor is the highest and most prestigious military decoration awarded by the United States government for service members who risk their lives or go beyond the call of duty in war.
Trump, who never served in the military and was granted five draft deferments, would therefore not be eligible.
Nonetheless, the 79-year-old president told the crowd, “I flew to Iraq and was extremely brave. In fact, so brave I wanted to give myself the Congressional Medal of Honor. I said to my people: am I allowed to give myself the Congressional Medal of Honor?”
After recounting the medals he’d given out to amputees and acknowledging it would be a “stretch” to award himself, Trump didn’t rule out the possibility.
“I’m going to test the law, I’m going to say… let’s give it a shot. Maybe I’ll win in court after everyone sues me.”
The Congressional Medal of Honor has been awarded to more than 3,500 people since it was established in 1861, including 2,467 Army recipients, 749 from the Navy, and 300 from the Marine Corps.
Trump later insisted he was only “having fun” with the crowd.
“The fake news will say ‘Donald Trump wants to give himself the Congressional Medal of Honor but he was rebuffed by the audience who stood up and booed the hell out of him,” he quipped.
But his comments were not the first time he has raised the idea, despite the fact that he managed to avoid conscription, receiving four deferments for college and a fifth for supposed bone spurs.
Trump also made similar remarks in his first term during a 2019 speech to the 75th annual national convention of American Veterans, a volunteer-led veterans service organization also known as AMVETS.
The off-hand remarks came after the president and first lady Melania Trump made a surprise visit to U.S. troops at Al Asad Air Force Base on Dec. 26, 2018.
He has also come under fire over military medals. On the campaign trail in 2024, the then Republican candidate sparked criticism when he said the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian award, was “much better” than the Medal of Honor because soldiers are in “bad shape” or dead when they receive it.
A prominent national veterans group later released a statement describing Trump’s comments as “asinine,” while his campaign insisted he had been misinterpreted.
Trump’s visit to Georgia—in a Congressional district that his former ally Marjorie Taylor Greene used to represent—was intended to tackle affordability concerns in the swing state.
But in the opening minutes of his first stop at a local restaurant before touring a steel company, the president raised debunked claims of voter fraud as he discussed the recent FBI raid of election offices in the state’s most populous county.
During his speech, he also mused about going to heaven, lamented being a senior citizen, and claimed that affordability was no longer an issue.
“Do you notice what word haven’t you heard over the last two weeks? Affordability. Because I’ve won. I won affordability,” Trump said.
The claim came a day after his top White House aides held a strategy meeting, warning administration officials to stay on message as the midterm elections approach in a bid to counter the president’s unpredictable behavior and tendency to go wildly off-script.
The meeting, hosted by chief of staff Susie Wiles, also acknowledged that affordability would remain a major issue for voters, especially if they didn’t feel the gains Trump often talks about.
Earlier in the day, Trump also conveyed his thirst for yet another award he hasn’t received—the Nobel Peace Prize—as he welcomed leaders from around the world to Washington for the inaugural meeting of his Board of Peace.
“But I don’t care, I don’t care about the Nobel Prize,” he insisted. “I care about saving lives.”
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