In a (somewhat) satirical piece a couple of months ago, we posed that Trump is just “quipping” when he periodically suggests that he should be awarded the nation’s highest military award for bravery in combat, the Medal of Honor.
Less than a week after that piece was posted, during his most recent State of the Union address, Trump once again intimated that he was deserving of that high honor.
“I’ve always wanted the Congressional Medal of Honor, but I was informed I’m not allowed to give it to myself, and I wouldn’t know why I’d be taking it,” he said. Referring to retired Navy Capt. E. Royce Williams whom he had just awarded the Medal of Honor, Trump added, “But if they ever open up that law, I will be there with you someday.”
According to a weekend Wall Street Journal report, Trump may now be beyond quipping and into serious “musing” about awarding himself the Medal of Honor.
In “Behind Trump’s Public Bravado on the War, He Grapples With His Own Fears,” extensively discussing Trump’s handling of the war with Iran — “characterized by an unorthodox, maximalist approach, veering between belligerence and conciliation” — the authors, Josh Dawsey and Annie Linskey, describe how Trump continues to obsess about awarding himself the Medal Honor — even during a time of war.
Dawsey and Linskey write:
At another gathering, one night after threatening to end Iranian civilization, Trump stood in the White House with donors and top staff for a reception ahead of America’s 250th celebration this summer. He mused about giving himself the nation’s highest military honor, the Medal of Honor, designed to honor bravery, courage and sacrifice, according to people who were at the reception.
He then told a story about why he said he deserved it: In his first term as he flew into Iraq for a surprise holiday visit to the troops, his jet descended in the dark toward an unlit runway. In dramatic fashion, he counted down the feet to the plane landing and recalled how scary it was. The pilots kept reassuring him, he said, and they landed safely.
The writers add, “Leavitt, the White House spokeswoman, said he was joking.”
The Huffington Post has additional reporting here.
