Trump calls the Medal of Freedom “equal” and “far better” than the Medal of Honor, sparking backlash from veterans

(CBS NEWS) – Former President Donald Trump faced immediate backlash Thursday when he said the Presidential Medal of Freedom he awarded to Dr. Miriam Adelson, the widow of Republican major donor Sheldon Adelson, was “equal” and “far better” than the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military award for valor in combat.

At an event to combat anti-Semitism at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, Trump praised the late Las Vegas casino magnate as “one of the greatest businessmen in the world.” He then turned to Sheldon Adelson's widow and drew a comparison between the Medal of Honor and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian award, which is usually given for significant achievements in the arts, public office and others.

“I saw Sheldon sitting so proudly in the White House when we awarded Miriam the Presidential Medal of Freedom. It is the highest award a civilian can receive. It is the equivalent of the Congressional Medal of Honor, only in a civilian version,” Trump said, speaking from the podium in front of several American and Israeli flags.

He added: “It's actually much better because everybody gets the Congressional Medal of Honor, they're soldiers. They're either in very bad shape because they've been hit by bullets so many times, or they're dead. She gets it and she's a healthy, beautiful woman. And they're ranked the same, but she got the Presidential Medal of Freedom.”

File: President Donald Trump presents Miriam Adelson with the Presidential Medal of Freedom during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House, Nov. 16, 2018. Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Miriam Adelson is a doctor specializing in drug addiction and is known for her humanitarian work and donations to Jewish organizations. In 2018, Trump awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom during a ceremony at the White House. The then-Trump administration recognized her two research centers to curb drug abuse and the work of the Adelson Medical Research Foundation, which was established to combat life-threatening diseases.

Republican Senator JD Vance of Ohio was asked on Friday about his running mate's comments.

“This is a man who loves our veterans and honors them,” Vance replied. “I don't think he is in any way disparaging the people who have been awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom when he compliments them and says a kind word about them.”

But many veterans with prominent social media platforms condemned the 2024 Republican presidential candidate's remarks on Thursday, calling the comments about the medal “offensive” and “disrespectful.” Trump's statement about the Medal of Honor and his characterization of the soldiers who receive the award became a top topic of discussion on the social media platform X.

Trump's comments Thursday night recalled previous criticism of the former president over his disparaging remarks about the late Republican Senator John McCain in 2015, when he said McCain was “a war hero only because he was captured during the Vietnam War,” adding, “I like people who weren't captured, OK?” There was also backlash when he reportedly called Americans killed in war “losers” and “suckers” after canceling a trip to the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery near Paris in 2018. Trump denies making the disparaging remarks about fallen U.S. soldiers.

Many critics online pointed to the millions of dollars the Adelsons donated to Trump and other Republican candidates and causes, contrasting that with the extraordinary bravery of Medal of Honor recipients, who receive the award for great courage in the face of extreme danger. Often, these soldiers, some of whom die in the process, show complete disregard for their own lives to save others or prevent heavy bombardment and enemy fire.

The Adelsons donated $20 million to Trump's 2016 presidential campaign and $5 million to his inauguration. Another half million went to a legal fund for Trump associates in 2018, according to Politico. That same year, the couple paid more than $100 million to conservative groups and GOP candidates during the campaign. In 2020, the couple donated $75 million to the Preserve America PAC, a pro-Trump super PAC. The Adelsons' total donations to Republicans between 2019 and 2020 were more than $218 million, according to Open Secrets, which tracks money in politics.

When asked by CBS News on Friday, Pentagon spokesman Major General Patrick Ryder said it has long been the Defense Department's policy not to comment on statements made during political campaigns due to the department's non-political nature.

“The Department of Defense is also eternally grateful to all recipients of the Medal of Honor for their service, sacrifice and valor. The Medal of Honor is the nation's highest military decoration for valor by law and is awarded only to U.S. service members who have distinguished themselves by outstanding gallantry and fearlessness at the risk of their lives above and beyond the call of duty,” Ryder said.

Matt Zeller, a former Army captain and CIA officer who served in Afghanistan and has advocated for years for the resettlement of Afghan allies who served with the U.S. and its coalition partners during America's longest war, condemned the former president's comments.

“People need to see who Trump is and how he views those of us who have served in the military. He has denigrated us for years,” Zeller told CBS News. “I can only hope that this latest affront to military service is the one that finally makes the rest of my fellow veterans see sense – the man is a fraud.”

The Medal of Honor was first awarded in 1863, according to a U.S. Senate committee imprint on the medal. It is the nation's highest military award for valor in combat and is awarded by the President on behalf of Congress – which is why the prestigious award is often referred to as the Congressional Medal of Honor.

According to the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, of the 41 million soldiers who have served in the U.S. Army, only 3,517 members have received the Medal of Honor – 19 of them twice.

The Presidential Medal of Freedom, on the other hand, created in 1945 by President Harry S. Truman, is often awarded to people who reflect the president's “political and personal interests,” according to the Congressional Research Service. As of July, the medal had been awarded 653 times between 1963 and 2024. Previous recipients include major figures from the world of arts and entertainment, the Apollo 13 Mission Operations Team, and two double awardees: the late U.S. Ambassador Ellsworth Bunker and Colin Powell, the former secretary of state and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff who died in 2021.

Also honored on the day Miriam Adelson received her medal were Republican Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah, former NFL football player and current Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Alan Page, and Dallas Cowboys Hall of Fame quarterback Roger Staubach. The award was also given posthumously to Elvis Presley, Babe Ruth, and conservative Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.

Florent Groberg, Medal of Honor recipient and retired Army captain, said on X that he had “huge respect for the Medal of Freedom and its symbolism” and that it was “important to recognize the contributions of civilians,” but added, “I think it is not quite comparable to the Medal of Honor because they are two very different awards with different criteria and different meanings.”

Retired Army Sgt. Maj. Kenneth Ramos echoed Groberg's assessment, drawing a comparison between the Presidential Medal of Freedom that Trump awarded to Adelson and others and the Medal of Honor that the former president posthumously awarded to Army Sgt. 1st Class Alwyn Cashe before leaving the White House. His widow, Tamara, accepted the medal on his behalf from President Biden in 2021.

During a night patrol on October 17, 2005, in Iraq's Salah Ad Din province, Cashe and his soldiers found themselves in dire straits when his unit was ambushed. Their Bradley fighting vehicle struck an IED, engulfing them in flames while enemy troops pelted them with rifle fire.

After escaping the inferno, Cashe jumped back into the vehicle to rescue his comrades, first pulling out the driver. As Cashe extinguished the flames on the driver, the veteran's fuel-soaked uniform caught fire. Cashe suffered severe second and third degree burns on nearly 72% of his body, according to the US Army.

Despite the painful wounds, Cashe re-entered the vehicle despite the danger of fire and enemy bullets to rescue six more soldiers and an Iraqi interpreter from the burning vehicle. When reinforcements arrived, Cashe insisted that his soldiers receive medical attention first and refused to be evacuated to receive more medical attention before them. Cashe died on November 8, 2005, at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas.

“Cashe knew the danger in his attempts to save his fellow soldiers and absolutely cannot be placed in the same category as a civilian award,” Ramos told CBS News. “It dishonors his memory as a hero, but it also devalues ​​the Medal of Honor, which is awarded by someone who hopes to once again become commander in chief of our armed forces.”

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