Illinois Democratic Senator and Iraq War veteran Tammy Duckworth called former President Donald Trump "despicable" for claiming the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, is actually "better" than the Congressional Medal of Honor, which is the highest military honor, since civilians don't have to die or be wounded to receive it.
Duckworth, a double amputee who lost both of her legs in combat in 2004 when her Black Hawk helicopter was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade fired by Iraqi insurgents, spoke out after Trump said the Presidential Medal of Freedom he gave to billionaire donor Miriam Adelson is "much better" than the Congressional Medal of Honor given to wounded or dead members of the U.S. military.
Trump made the remarks during a campaign event at his Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, where he was introduced by Adelson herself.
He said the Medal of Freedom is "actually much better because everyone [who] gets the Congressional Medal of Honor, they’re soldiers," adding that "They’re either in very bad shape because they’ve been hit so many times by bullets, or they’re dead."
Addressing ABC This Week host Martha Raddatz, who asked her for her thoughts on Trump's remarks and his connection to Adelson, Duckworth said:
"American voters have a chance to choose. Do they want a five-time draft dodger who denigrates military men and women and our veterans and calls us 'suckers' and 'losers,' who doesn't want to have his picture taken with amputee veterans of various conflicts to be the next commander in chief?"
"Or are you going to have Kamala Harris and Tim Walz who care deeply about veterans? Tim Walz has been out there leading on so many issues for veterans, especially burn pits."
“Donald Trump is despicable. He doesn’t deserve to be commander in chief. And certainly those remarks are consistent with where he’s always been. He thinks that we’re suckers and losers and frankly, he's not fit to be commander in chief."
You can hear what she said in the video below.
It's worth pointing out the difference between the two honors that have now become the subject of controversy as a result of Trump's remarks.
The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the nation’s highest civilian honor, awarded to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the prosperity, values, or security of the United States, world peace, or other significant public or private endeavors.
The Congressional Medal of Honor is the most prestigious military award, with three variants for each military branch. The Medal of Honor recognizes those who have shaped our nation’s history and "continue to inspire its future" through acts of "valor, humanity, patriotism, and sacrifice."
Notably, out of the 40 million Americans who have served in the Armed Forces since the Civil War, only 3,519 have received the Medal of Honor.
Trump's praise for Adelson also betrays his own self-interest.
Adelson is estimated to be the fifth richest woman in America with a net worth of $27.7 billion. She and her late husband, Sheldon Adelson, were Trump’s most significant financial supporters during his presidency. They made the largest contributions to his 2016 campaign, his presidential inauguration, his defense fund during the Mueller investigation into Russian interference, and his 2020 campaign.
Many concurred with Duckworth's remarks.
Duckworth has long criticized Trump and his administration—and once referred to him as a "five-deferment draft dodger" during remarks on the Senate floor, a criticism she repeated during her interview with Raddatz.
At the time, Duckworth stressed that she "spent my entire adult life looking out for the well-being, the training, the equipping of the troops for whom I was responsible" and said she "will not be lectured about what our military needs by a five-deferment draft dodger."
Notably, Duckworth took Trump to task both for his aggression toward North Korea and for his Twitter usage, telling "Cadet Bone Spurs" that if he "cared about our military, you'd stop baiting Kim Jong Un into a war that could put 85,000 American troops — and millions of innocent civilians — in danger."
In 2017, Duckworth also condemned Trump's sudden decision to ban transgender individuals from serving in the military in any capacity, saying that when she was shot down in Iraq, she "didn't care if the American troops risking their lives to help save me were gay, straight, transgender or anything else."
"All that mattered was they didn't leave me behind," Duckworth said at the time, adding that people should be allowed to serve "no matter your gender identity, sexual orientation or race" and that "anything else is discriminatory and counterproductive to our national security."
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