JD Vance's attempt to defend Trump's Medal of Honor rant panned by conservative

Speaking at a police hall in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Friday, Donald Trump's running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH), claimed the ex-president's recent comments about the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Medal of Honor were taken out of context.

Trump's controversial statement came when he talked about giving the Medal of Freedom to Miriam Adelson, the widow of late GOP megadonor Sheldon Adelson.

“That’s the highest award you can get as a civilian. It’s the equivalent of the Congressional Medal of Honor, but civilian version,” Trump said. “It’s actually much better because everyone [who] gets the Congressional Medal of Honor, they’re soldiers. They’re either in very bad shape because they’ve been hit so many times by bullets, or they’re dead,” Trump said. “She gets it, and she’s a healthy, beautiful woman. And they’re rated equal, but she got the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and she got it for — and that’s through committees and everything else.”

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Vance on Friday defended Trump and cited his relationships with veterans.

"Look, I was with a group of veterans yesterday, and trust me, the veteran community is behind Donald Trump," he claimed. "What President Trump said during the ceremony — and I haven't seen the entire remarks — President Trump said that a person who received the Medal of Freedom — he was saying some nice things about her. Donald Trump, I have seen give out a Congressional Medal of Honor. I have seen him give out a number of awards and commendations to military veterans."

"Of course, I myself am a Marine Corps veteran of the Iraq War," Vance continued. "This is a guy who loves and honors our veterans. I don't think him complementing and saying a nice word about a person who received a Medal of Freedom is in any way denigrating those who receive military honors. They are two different awards, and the president said some nice things about a person he liked. That is a reasonable thing to do."

While Trump did say "nice things" about Adelson, Trump said that the civilian award was better because no one had to get shot or hurt in war to get it.

This is also not the first time Trump has either implicitly or explicitly disparaged the service of veterans.

Back in 2015, for example, he attacked the late Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) for being a prisoner of war.

“I like people that weren’t captured,” Trump said then.

Gen. John Kelly and other staffers recalled in a report that Trump didn't want to go to the graves of American soldiers who died during World War II while it was raining. He called the fallen soldiers "losers" and "suckers." Trump then denied saying it.

After watching Vance's defense of Trump, conservative Bill Kristol argued that it didn't hold any water.

"Trump: The Medal of Freedom is the 'equivalent' of--'actually much better' than--the Medal of Freedom.

Vance: Trump didn't say what we all saw him say.

Orwell: The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command."

See Vance's comments below or at this link.

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