Trump says civilian award ‘better’ than military medal for those ‘dead’ or ‘hit’ by bullets, Vance defends comments as ‘reasonable’

Former President Donald Trump sparked controversy after describing the Presidential Medal of Freedom as “much better” than the Medal of Honor, suggesting that the military award often goes to service members who are severely wounded or deceased. The comments, made at a campaign event at his Bedminster, New Jersey golf club, add to a series of remarks from Trump that critics say show disdain for military service members who are wounded, captured, or killed.
At the event, which was billed as a discussion on fighting antisemitism, Trump recounted awarding the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Miriam Adelson, the widow of casino magnate Sheldon Adelson and a significant donor to Trump’s campaigns.He contrasted the civilian honor with the Medal of Honor, inaccurately referring to it as the “Congressional Medal of Honor,” and claimed the two awards were “rated equal.”
“I have to say Miriam, I watched Sheldon 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,” Trump said during a pro-Israel event. “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 are even in very bad shape because they have been hit so many times by bullets or they are dead.”
“She gets it and she’s a healthy, beautiful, woman,” Trump said to some applause. “They are rated equal.”
In response to the backlash, Republican vice-presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance defended Trump’s remarks, emphasizing that they were not intended to demean military honors.
“I don’t think him complementing 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,” Vance told reporters during a campaign stop in Milwaukee. “They are two different awards. And I think the president was saying some nice things about a person he liked, and that is a totally reasonable thing to do.”
Vance, who noted that he had not seen the entirety of Trump’s comments, added that the former president “loves our veterans.”

Brian Hughes, a spokesman for Trump’s campaign, later clarified that Trump’s comments referred to the emotional difficulty of awarding the Medal of Honor to veterans who have been wounded or killed in action, emphasizing that Trump had done so proudly as commander in chief.
However, the remarks were met with swift criticism. Sarafina Chitika, a spokesperson for Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign, responded sharply, saying, “Donald Trump knows nothing about service to anyone or anything but himself,” and urging voters to prevent Trump from becoming commander in chief again.
Trump’s comments also risk undermining Republican efforts to challenge Democratic vice-presidential nominee Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota over his military record, potentially complicating their campaign strategy.
The controversy adds to a pattern of remarks by Trump that have been perceived as disrespectful to the military, raising questions about his relationship with service members as he seeks to return to the presidency.