Move over, Audie Murphy. President Trump is reportedly eyeing the nation’s highest military honor — for himself. According to a Wall Street Journal report published April 18, Trump has “mused” about awarding himself the Medal of Honor, despite never having served a day in the U.S. armed forces.
The reported musings, according to White House insiders, came during a reception tied to the nation’s upcoming semiquincentennial celebrations. Trump reportedly argued he deserved the decoration because his plane landed on an unlit runway during a 2018 visit to Al Asad Air Base in Iraq — a three-and-a-half-hour trip during which he did not see combat.
The Georgia Speech That Started It
This isn’t the first time Trump has floated the idea. On Thursday, Feb. 19, during a speech at Coosa Steel Corporation in Rome, Georgia, the president took one of his signature detours into the topic. The event was focused on manufacturing and the economy, part of Trump’s push in Georgia’s 14th Congressional District to endorse candidates in the special election to replace Marjorie Taylor Greene, who resigned from Congress in January after a public rift with the president.
“I flew to Iraq. I was extremely brave. So brave I wanted to give myself the Congressional Medal of Honor,” Trump told the crowd, according to The Independent. He added that he asked aides whether he was allowed to do so, ultimately conceding it would be “a little stretch.” Still, he vowed: “Someday I’m gonna try. I’m gonna test the law.”
The Medal of Honor, per the Department of Defense, may be bestowed upon members of the armed forces who distinguish themselves through “conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty.” Past recipients include 1st Lt. Brian Thacker, who stayed behind alone at a besieged firebase in Vietnam to cover the retreat of his unit, and Staff Sgt. Earl D. Plumlee, who raced toward insurgents wearing suicide vests in Afghanistan.
Trump, 79, does not meet the criteria. He has never served in the military, and although the president is commander in chief of the armed forces, that role is considered civilian. During the Vietnam War in the 1960s, Trump received five draft deferments — four for college and one in 1968 for bone spurs in his heels. He once told radio host Howard Stern that avoiding sexually transmitted diseases was “my personal Vietnam.”
A Collector of Unusual Accolades
If the medal talk sounds familiar, it’s because Trump has built quite the trophy shelf during his second term. In February, the Washington Coal Club crowned him the “Undisputed Champion of Beautiful Clean Coal” at a White House ceremony. Last year, soccer’s governing body handed him the first — and only — FIFA Peace Prize, presented by FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
Trump has also long coveted the Nobel Peace Prize. He sort of got one: Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, who won last year, handed him her medal. On March 2, 2026, Trump awarded the actual Medal of Honor to Ret. Command Sgt. Maj. Terry P. Richardson in a White House ceremony.
The renewed interest in self-decoration comes as Trump faces turbulent polling. An NBC News Decision Desk Poll published Sunday, April 19, found 37% of adults approve of his performance while 63% disapprove — half of them strongly. It marks the lowest approval rating of his second term. About two-thirds of respondents disapprove of his handling of inflation, and roughly the same share disapprove of his handling of the conflict with Iran. Just 33% approve of his Iran approach. A separate Pew Research Center survey from January found only 28% of Americans rate the economy positively.
Iran Conflict Casts Long Shadow
The conflict with Iran, which began Feb. 28, 2026, has taken a serious toll. Thirteen American service members have been confirmed killed, and hundreds more have been injured. Trump released a video on Truth Social on March 1 acknowledging that American troops could be killed or injured. He discussed the prospect of war during his State of the Union address on Feb. 24 as part of his stated desire to be a peacemaker.
White House insiders told the Journal that Trump has been struggling with his handling of the war. He was reportedly removed from a briefing on a downed-pilot rescue mission after a meltdown, and aides say he has repeatedly shifted focus to other topics, including his $400 million ballroom project and fundraisers for the upcoming midterms.
Vice President JD Vance, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, and special envoy Steve Witkoff had been set to travel to Islamabad for a second round of negotiations with Iranian officials. But plans have been in flux. Iran’s Foreign Ministry said Monday it had “no plans for the next round of negotiations,” and Trump extended the ceasefire Tuesday while demanding a “unified proposal” from Tehran. The two-week ceasefire, brokered by Pakistan, was set to expire Wednesday evening.
The Bone Spurs Question Lingers
Trump’s military credentials — or lack thereof — remain a touchy subject. His former lawyer Michael Cohen testified before Congress in February 2019 that Trump had fabricated the bone spurs diagnosis to avoid service. Cohen said Trump provided no medical records and no record of surgery, and that the president had told him, “You think I’m stupid, I wasn’t going to Vietnam.”
Whether Trump will actually attempt to pin the Medal of Honor on his own lapel remains to be seen. As he told the Georgia crowd, the plan is simply to test the law. For now, the trophy case will have to make do with clean coal, a FIFA peace medal, and a borrowed Nobel.