Donald Trump caused controversy on Thursday by saying the civilian Presidential Medal of Freedom was “much better” than the Medal of Honor, the highest U.S. military honor.
The former president, speaking at his golf club in Bedminster New Jersey as part of an event called “Fighting Antisemitism,” said Medal of Honor recipients were soldiers “either in very bad shape because they’ve been hit so many times by bullets or they’re dead.”
The Republican presidential nominee made the comments in an attempt to praise guest Miriam Adelson, to whom he awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2018. Adelson, the widow of one of the GOP’s former largest donors, Sheldon Adelson, continues to make substantial donations to Trump’s campaigns.
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“It’s actually much better because everyone [who] gets the Congressional Medal of Honor, they’re soldiers,” Trump told supporters. “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 a healthy, beautiful woman, and they’re rated equal.”
Trump’s comments have been widely criticized. Veterans for Responsible Leadership, a bipartisan super PAC, wrote that Trump thinks the Medal of Honor is “secondary to the medal he gives his billionaire funders. He doesn’t care about our military or their sacrifices.”
Decorated Marine Corps pilot Lieutenant Colonel Amy McGrath, a former Senate and House candidate, posted on X, formerly Twitter: “Trump said the award he gave his rich donor was equal to & “even better than” the Medal of Honor. This is terribly offensive to the veterans who earned the highest national award for bravery and courage in combat. No way around it JD.”
Actor Wendell Pierce said on X that Trump had been “disrespectful” to veterans and owed them an apology.
“I was honored by the Congressional Medal of Honor Society in November,” Pierce said. “They deserve our highest respect. To be in their company was humbling. Their valor should never be forgotten. Many support the man that was so disrespectful to them. Donald Trump owes them an apology. Shame.”
Pierce received the Distinguished Citizen Award, which according to the Society, “recognizes individuals who, through their life’s work, have distinguished themselves as Americans dedicated to freedom and the ideals represented by the Congressional Medal of Honor Society.”
Amid the controversy, Newsweek has looked at the key differences between the two awards.
What is the Medal of Honor?
The Medal of Honor is the highest and most coveted military decoration the U.S. government can bestow on a member of the Armed Forces.
Presented by the president in the name of Congress, there are three distinct variations: one for the Air Force, one for the Army, and one for the Coast Guard, Marine Corps and Navy.
According to the Defense Department, the Medal of Honor “is conferred only upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty.”
There have been 3,519 recipients, the largest number presented during the U.S. Civil War, followed by World War II, as per research provided by the Congressional Medal of Honor Society. In 1916, Congress asked that all medals awarded to that point be reviewed to ensure they met the high standards required, leading to 911 medals being rescinded.
The name of the medal is simply the Medal of Honor. The word “Congressional” is mistakenly added sometimes because it was created by Congress, even though it is a purely military award.
What is the Presidential Medal of Freedom?
Considered the U.S. government’s highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom was established as the Medal of Freedom in 1945 by President Harry S. Truman to honor those who served during World War II.
Nearly 20 years later, President John F. Kennedy reintroduced the award as the Presidential Medal of Freedom and expanded the award recipients to include anyone who made a “meritorious contribution to (1) the security or national interests of the United States, or (2) world peace, or (3) cultural or other significant public or private endeavors,” according to the National Archives Federal Register.
Between 1963 and July 2024, the Medal of Freedom has been awarded 653 times to 650 people and one group, the Apollo 13 Mission Operations Team. U.S. diplomat Ellsworth Bunker and former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell were awarded it twice.
Barack Obama awarded the most of any president, 118, since the award’s creation. Trump awarded 24 individuals, including Adelson and allies such as Republican Ohio Representative Jim Jordan and former Representative Devin Nunes, now CEO of Trump Media & Technology Group.
Are the two honors ‘rated’ equally?
There is no rating system for either medal by which the achievements of each confers a relative value. The judgment that the Presidential Medal of Freedom is “much better” appears to have been created by Trump.
His claim that the Medal of Honor recipients are in “very bad shape because they’ve been hit so many times by bullets or they’re dead” is also misleading.
The Congressional Medal of Honor Society states that only 18.5 percent of Medal of Honor recipients were awarded posthumously. Injury is not a prerequisite to receive the medal, unlike the Purple Heart medal, which is presented to service members wounded or killed by enemy action.
Newsweek has contacted media representatives for the Congressional Medal of Honor Society and Trump via email for comment.