Vice President Harris’ campaign criticized former President Trump’s argument that civilian honors are superior to the highest military honors, claiming he knows nothing about military service.
Trump said at a news conference in New Jersey on Thursday that the civilian Presidential Medal of Freedom is “the congressional equivalent of the Medal of Honor,” adding that the civilian version is “actually much better.”
“everyone [who] “Soldiers who receive the Congressional Medal of Honor are either shot multiple times and seriously injured or dead,” the former president added.
Harris spokeswoman Sarafina Chitica said in a statement that voters had a “duty to our military” not to select Trump in November.
“Donald Trump knows nothing about serving anyone or anything other than himself. His insults to Medal of Honor recipients, just as he has previously attacked the families of Gold Star recipients, mocked prisoners of war and called those who have lost their lives serving our country ‘idiots’ and ‘losers,’ should remind all Americans that we owe it to our service members, our country and our future to ensure that Donald Trump never again becomes Commander in Chief of the nation,” she said.
The Biden and now Harris campaigns have previously criticized Trump’s comments about veterans, highlighting a time in 2018 when he reportedly called U.S. veterans buried in France “losers” and “idiots.” Trump denied making the “idiot” comment, but it was later confirmed by former chief of staff John Kelly.
Military service has become an even bigger issue in the presidential race after Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) attacked Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) for his military record. Waltz, who served in the Army National Guard, said this week that no one’s record should be tarnished after Vance, a Marine Corps veteran, suggested Waltz had been dishonest about his military history.
