Trump's 'Asinine Comments' Criticized by Veterans of Foreign Wars

Veterans of Foreign Wars commander Al Lipphardt has slammed Donald Trump
for "asinine" comments he made about the Medal of Honor award.

At a campaign event in New Jersey on Thursday, Trump sparked fury after
he said the Presidential Medal of Freedom is a "better" award than the
Defense Department's Medal of Honor, which is the United States Armed
Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American
soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians, and coast guardsmen who
have distinguished themselves "through conspicuous gallantry and
intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty."

The Presidential Medal of Freedom is awarded to civilians "who have made
exceptional contributions to the security or national interests of
America, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or
private endeavors."

"It's the equivalent of the congressional Medal of Honor," Trump said of
the Presidential Medal of Freedom. "But the civilian version, it's
actually much better because everyone that 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," he said. "[Adelson] gets it, and she's a
healthy, beautiful woman, and they're rated equal, but she got the
Presidential Medal of Freedom."

Trump was referring to Miriam Adelson, a Republican donor who received
the Presidential Medal of Freedom from him in 2018 for opening two
research centers aimed at stemming substance abuse and the work of the
Adelson Medical Research Foundation, established to combat life-
threatening illnesses.

The Veterans of Foreign Wars group blasted Trump for his 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," Lipphardt said in a statement posted on the group's website.

The 3,519 recipients of the congressional Medal of Honor include Sgt. 1st
Class Alwyn Cashe, who was awarded the honor in posthumously in 2021
after he died from burn wounds suffered in 2005 while attempting to save
six fellow soldiers trapped in a burning vehicle following a roadside
bomb attack in Iraq.

Another recipient is Army Sgt. 1st Class Leroy Petry who received the
honor in 2011 for valor in Afghanistan. He lost his hand in a enemy
grenade blast after picking up the explosive and hurling it away from two
fellow soldiers, saving their lives.

"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 wrote.

"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 went on to say that while the Presidential Medal of Freedom may be the
nation's highest civilian award, the Medal of Honor is "more sacred" as
it "represents the gallantry and intrepidity of courageous and selfless
service members, often at the cost of grievous wounds and even their
lives.

"It's because of our Medal of Honor recipients that great Americans like
Miriam Adelson have the freedom to live to their fullest potential and
make such lasting contributions to our great nation," he said.

Lipphardt continued: "We would like to remind Mr. Trump that the 12 times
he had the honor of awarding the Medal of Honor as president of the
United States, those were heroes not of his own choosing. He bestowed
those medals on behalf of Congress, representing all Americans of a
grateful nation. We hold the donation of their lives in service to our
country in the highest esteem, and so should he."

Other people also chimed in to criticize the former president for his
comments, including Sarafina Chitika, spokesperson for the Vice President
Kamala Harris's presidential campaign, who said the comments show that
"Donald Trump knows nothing about service to anyone or anything but
himself."

Meanwhile, Alexander Vindman, a former soldier on the National Security
Council who testified against Trump at his first impeachment trial, said
on social media that the comments show Trump "dishonors Medal of Honor
recipients, our nation's highest military award for distinguished acts of
valor. He deserves nothing but disdain and disqualifies himself from
public office."

Medal of Honor recipient and retired Army Capt. Florent Groberg wrote on
X that he has a "tremendous amount of respect for the Medal of Freedom
and what it symbolizes" and that "it's important to recognize the
contributions of civilians" but that he feels that "it's not quite
comparable to the Medal of Honor, as they are two very different awards
with different criteria and significance."

Retired Army Sgt. Maj. Kenneth Ramos echoed Groberg's assessment, telling
CBS: "Cashe knew the danger in his attempts to rescue his fellow soldiers
and absolutely cannot be placed in the same category of a civilian award.

"It dishonors his memory as a hero, but also devalues the Medal of Honor
coming from someone hoping to be the commander-in-chief of our armed
forces again."

Newsweek has contacted the Trump campaign for comment via email.

Following the backlash, Trump's running mate JD Vance defended him in a
statement made to CBS.

"This is a guy who loves our veterans and who honors our veterans," Vance
said. "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 previously sparked backlash when he made fun of former Senator John
McCain for being captured by enemy forces during the Vietnam war.

McCain was "only a war hero because he was captured" during the Vietnam
War, Trump said in 2015, adding: "I like people that weren't captured,
OK?"