Trump draws fire for remarks about Medal of Honor recipients

Former president Donald Trump sparked criticism when he said the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian award, is "much better" than the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military honor, because soldiers are in "bad shape" or dead when they receive it – comments Trump's campaign suggested were misinterpreted.

During an event at his Bedminster, New Jersey, estate Thursday night, which was about antisemitism, Trump called attention to a major donor, Miriam Adelson – the widow of his friend and business mogul Sheldon Adelson – upon whom he bestowed the Medal of Freedom in 2018.

"Sheldon and Miriam were best friends together, and I was in their group. And we just had always a great relationship, known her for a long time," Trump said. "Sheldon was one of the greatest businessmen in the world, and she's turning out to be one of the greatest businesswomen of the world."

Trump then recalled the moment Miriam Adelson received the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

"But I really, I watched Sheldon sitting so proud in the White House when we gave Miriam the Presidential Medal of Freedom," he said. "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, they're soldiers. They're either in very bad shape because they've been hit so many times by bullets, or they're dead. She gets it and she's healthy, beautiful woman."

Miriam Adelson was awarded the Medal of Freedom as a "committed doctor, philanthropist, and humanitarian." "As a committed member of the American Jewish community, she has supported Jewish schools, Holocaust memorial organizations, Friends of the Israel Defense Forces, and Birthright Israel, among other causes," the Trump White House wrote in part.

A prominent national veterans group leader released a statement on Friday criticizing Trump's comments, calling them "asinine."

"These asinine comments not only diminish the significance of our nation's highest award for valor, but also crassly characterizes the sacrifices of those who have risked their lives above and beyond the call of duty," Veterans of Foreign Wars National Commander Al Lipphardt said.

"When a candidate to serve as our military's commander-in-chief so brazenly dismisses the valor and reverence symbolized by the Medal of Honor and those who have earned it, I must question whether they would discharge their responsibilities to our men and women in uniform with the seriousness and discernment necessary for such a powerful position," Lipphardt continued. "It is even more disappointing when these comments come from a man who already served in this noble office and should frankly already know better," he said.

The Kamala Harris campaign pounced on Trump's words, saying he "knows nothing about service to anyone or anything but himself."

And progressive veterans group VoteVets said in a statement: "It isn't just that Donald Trump doesn't respect Veterans and their sacrifice. It's that Donald Trump hates Veterans and their sacrifice, because he looks so small in comparison to them."

In a statement, the Trump campaign said the former president was referring to the experience of giving the award, not denigrating the Medal of Honor or the actions of servicemembers.

"President Trump was simply saying how it can be an emotionally difficult experience to give the Congressional Medal of Honor to veterans who have been wounded or tragically killed defending our country, as he proudly did when he was Commander in Chief," said campaign spokesperson Brian Hughes.

On Friday, Trump's running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, a Marine veteran, defended the former president.

"This is a guy who loves our veterans and who honors our veterans," Vance said during an event at the Milwaukee Police Association. "I don't think him complimenting and saying a nice word about a person who received the Presidential Medal of Freedom is in any way denigrating those who received military honors."

Trump, who holds himself up as a champion of the military and regularly discusses his record of rebuilding the military while in office, has drawn fire for swipes at servicemembers.

One of the most notable examples was when he criticized another Republican, John McCain -- the late Arizona senator and former presidential candidate -- who spent five years as a POW during the Vietnam War, casting doubt on his status as a war hero.

"I like people who weren't captured," Trump said in 2015. At the time, the remarks set off a firestorm, including from members of the Republican party, who called for him to drop out of the 2016 presidential race.

More recently, Trump came under scrutiny when The Atlantic reported in 2020 that he had called those who died in war "suckers" and "losers." Trump has vehemently denied the reported remarks, which President Biden repeated on the campaign trail before he dropped out of the race. ABC News has not independently confirmed the story.

During the Bedminster event, Trump highlighted the importance of the Jewish vote, while also making false claims about various Democrats, including Harris.

"We're here tonight because we believe that this vicious outbreak of militant and antisemitism is very militant. Must be given no quarter, no safe harbor, no place in a civilized society. We must reject it in our schools, reject it in our foreign policy, reject it in our immigration system and reject it at the ballot box," Trump told the crowd.

Trump then repeated a dual loyalty trope – that itself has been criticized as antisemitic – that American Jews owe a dual loyalty to Israel or having two separate interests that conflict, telling the audience, "Jewish people have to not vote by habit. You vote by habit for Democrats, and the Democrats are really against you."

Trump continued to make similar comments, suggesting that Jewish people need to "stop" voting for Democrats. "You have to be smart," Trump said, before discussing his list of accomplishments such as the Abraham Accords and withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal.