Trump has swerved military service five times - once by medical disqualification and then four more times for academic reasons

Donald Trump accepted a Purple Heart medal from a Vietnam War veteran, despite famously dodging military service himself.

The Republican presidential nominee has been branded “disrespectful” and “disgusting” for accepting the medal, given to him for his response to the assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13.

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Critics of Trump blasted the former president as “disrespectful” because the Purple Heart medal is given to service members who have greatly sacrificed themselves in war for the US military.

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“This is such performative nonsense,” someone else said. “Someone needs to tell everyone there, especially Trump and Dwight, that’s not how it works. Only the US military can officially give someone a Purple Heart, and that person has to be in the military.”

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      • TheHiddenCatboy@lemmy.worldEnglish
        15·
        1 month ago

        There’s definitely a case to be made for charging Trump under the Stolen Valor Act of 2013. The hard part here will be proving Trump’s using his Stolen Valour to “fraudulently claim having received a valor award specified in the Act, with the intention of obtaining money, property, or other tangible benefit by convincing another that they received the award.” The penalties for this crime appear to be six months to a year in jail.

        The problem here is to get a conviction, you’ll have to prove that Trump is getting some kind of tangible benefit, which I’m not sure this Trumpian justice system will do.

  • CleoTheWizard@lemmy.worldEnglish
    85·
    1 month ago

    Just to remind everyone.

    1. Trump dodged the draft for service in this war
    2. Trump has repeatedly made remarks insulting veterans and called them “suckers and losers” according to staff
    3. Trump mocked senior and disabled veteran John McCain for being captured in a war he fought in
    4. He awarded a billionaire the Presidential Medal of Freedom and proceeded to compare it as better than the Medal of Honor and said of its recipients “They’re either in very bad shape because they’ve been hit so many times by bullets or they’re dead.”
    5. Trump went to Arlington National cemetery where his staff assaulted the cemetery staff and broke rules about photography in the sacred graveyard.
    6. Trump then proceeded to take pictures with the families next to the headstones while smiling and giving a thumbs up. He was standing at some points directly on top of the buried bodies of soldiers that died under his command.
    7. Now Trump himself has accepted a Purple Heart which is a symbol of bravery and sacrifice and selflessness and is given to those who have been wounded or killed in battle. It is one of the nations highest honors and was given to Trump who later jokes about the medal looking like a check or like cash when given to him. This medal was awarded by a veteran of the Vietnam war that Trump not only did not fight in, but instead dodged and let his fellow countrymen make his sacrifice for him.

    If you know someone that is a veteran and still wants to vote for Donald Trump, I really hope that you take them to the VA immediately and have them assessed for brain damage.

    • Skanky@lemmy.world
      10·
      1 month ago

      In 2018, Trump skipped going to Arlington cemetery on veteran’s day “because he was so busy”. In reality, he wasn’t that busy and probably ditched it because the weather wasn’t very good.

  • ticho@lemmy.world
    16·
    1 month ago

    So now he’s conning gullible seniors also out of their military decorations? If it was anyone else, I’d say it’s a new low, but for Trump, it’s a new middle.

  • cultsuperstar@lemmy.world
    13·
    1 month ago

    So was the reasoning that he was injured during the assassination attempt and “they’re at war with Democrats” so he deserved the purple heart? Because that’s an insult to every service member ever.

    • Bananigans@lemmy.dbzer0.com
      4·
      1 month ago

      Do you still get a purple heart of a squad mate loses it and tosses a grenade into your tent? Because the Butler situation definitely seems more analogous to that.

  • Adderbox76@lemmy.caEnglish
    8·
    1 month ago

    A) How much did he offer to pay the veteran?

    and

    B) How long before the veteran realises none of that money will ever see his or his families bank accounts?

  • AbidanYre@lemmy.worldEnglish
    4·
    1 month ago

    Some other moron did the same thing when Trump was campaigning before. I forget if it was '16 or '20 though.