Despite massive criticism from all corners, Donald Trump is doubling down on his recent ― and controversial ― comment that a Presidential Medal of Freedom award is better than the Congressional Medal of Honor.
During a campaign event on Thursday, the former president told the crowd that the Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, was “much better” than the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest military decoration.
His shocking rationale was that soldiers who receive the latter are “either in very bad shape because they’ve been hit so many times by bullets, or they’re dead.”
Trump’s comments were widely condemned by many including his former chief of staff John Kelly, purple heart recipient Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), and the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
During his visit to Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, local reporter Andy Mehalshick noted that “many veterans [were] upset” about the remarks and gave the former president a chance to “clarify” his medal remarks.
Although Trump was given a softball that would have allowed him to do damage control AND praise the soldiers who’ve died for the country, he decided instead to double down.
“People who get the Congressional Medal of Honor — which I’ve given to many — are often horribly worried or dead,” Trump said. “They’re often dead. They get it posthumously. When you get a Congressional Medal of Honor, that to me is the ultimate, but it’s a painful thing to get.”
“When you get the Presidential Medal of Freedom, it’s usually for other things you achieve… Great success in sports or someplace else,” he added.
You can see the exchange below.
Many people weren’t impressed by Trump’s newest response to the scandal.
