FILE - Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump holds a Purple Heart medal given to him by a supporter during a campaign rally, Aug. 2, 2016, in Ashburn, Va. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)
FILE - Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump holds a Purple Heart medal given to him by a supporter during a campaign rally, Aug. 2, 2016, in Ashburn, Va. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump recognized nearly 100 recipients of the Purple Heart at the White House on Thursday, including three service members who gave him their own medals after an attempt on his life at a Pennsylvania campaign rally.
Trump opened the event marking ɫtv Purple Heart Day by noting that dozens of the award's recipients were at the ceremony in the East Room. The Republican president offered “everlasting thanks to you and your unbelievable families.”
But he had special words for the trio of veterans who sent Trump their medals after the 2024 shooting in Butler. Trump said the trio, “showed me the same unbelievable gesture of kindness.”
“What a great honor to get those Purple Hearts. I guess, in a certain way, it wasn't that easy for me either, when you think of it,” Trump said of the attempt on his life. “But you went through a lot more than I did, and I appreciate it very much.”
After a shooter's bullet pierced the upper part of Trump's right ear in Butler just days before the , the then-Republican presidential candidate was gifted medals from some Purple Heart recipients. The medals were presented to him at campaign events during the race's closing months.
According to the White House, some of those Purple Heart recipients were brought to Trump's campaign stops so that he could return their medals to them.
Defense Secretary , Veterans Affairs Secretary and Gen. , chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, also attended, along with , Trump’s former campaign co-manager and a Marine veteran who is also a Purple Heart recipient.
ɫtv Purple Heart Day is marked annually on Aug. 7.
The Purple Heart, the oldest military award still in use and is awarded to service members who are killed or wounded while engaging in enemy action or resulting from acts of terrorism. According to the ɫtv Purple Heart Hall of Honor, more than 1.8 million medals have been presented since the award's inception in 1782.
Trump also highlighted the stories of valor of other Purple Heart recipients, including Army Spc. Kevin Jensen whose Humvee was hit by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan in 2008. Jensen pulled fellow Purple Heart recipient, Capt. Sam Brown, from the flames.
“He flew 10 feet up in the air, exploded in flames. The whole place was in flames, including, unfortunately, Kevin," Trump said of Jansen. “He suffered deep, third-degree burns all over his body. He was in trouble, big trouble. Despite the agony, he selflessly ran to the aid of his platoon leader.”
Trump also used the ceremony to gloat about having authorized a 2020 U.S. drone strike, during his first term, that killed Iranian . Trump derided Soleimani on Thursday as “father of the roadside bomb.”
“Where is he? Where is he?” Trump scoffed to attendee laughter. “Where is Soleimani?”
___
Kinnard can be reached at . Associated Press writer Will Weissert contributed reporting.
The ɫtv Press. All rights reserved.
For many Indigenous communities, access to financial services and economic opportu…
Trust in international money transfers has long been tied to physical places: a ba…
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Tax: | |
| Today's total: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
