NORFOLK, Va. —
Donald Trump battling controversy again after some feel he insulted veterans during a campaign event on Thursday.
During the event, the former president said the Presidential Medal of Freedom, awarded to civilians, is the same or "much better" than the Congressional Medal of Honor awarded to military service members.
"We gave Miriam [Adelson] the Presidential Medal of Freedom. 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 that gets the Congressional Medal of Honor, that's soldiers. They're either in very bad shape because they've been hit so many times by bullets or they're dead."
The former president was speaking about Miriam Adelson, who he awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom during his time in office. Adelson, according to ABC News, is a major donor to the Republican Party and the widow of Trump's friend and business mogul Sheldon Adelson.
The comments sparked criticism from Democrats in Hampton Roads.
"This is what a former president of the United States thinks about the service and the sacrifices that veterans and their families made in service for our freedom in this country is shameful," Virginia Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates, Don Scott, said. "It's really sad that Republicans are not denouncing him because they lack the courage to do it."
Scott was campaigning for the Harris-Walz campaign at a barbershop in Portsmouth on Saturday afternoon. Third District Congressman Bobby Scott -- no relation to Don Scott -- also chimed in on the 45th president's comments.
"Former President Trump has been disparaging veterans for a long time. What he said about John McCain and many others, says more about him than the veterans he's trying to disparage," Congressman Scott said.
Trump has faced previous allegations that he disparaged the military, including claims that in 2018 he called World War I dead at an American military cemetery in France as “losers” and “suckers”, and that in reference to the late Republican Senator John McCain, who was a prisoner of war in Vietnam: "I like people who weren't captured."
Ohio Senator and Trump's running mate, J.D. Vance, defended the GOP nominee. "I don't think him complimenting and saying a nice word about a person who received the Presidential Medal of Freedom is in any way denigrating those who received military honors."
Both Speaker and Congressman Scott want Trump to apologize for the comments. But Congressman Scott has no expectations that he will do so.
13News Now did reach out to Republican elected officials including, Rep. Jen Kiggans, Gov. Glenn Youngkin, and Virginia Senator Bill DeSteph for comment. DeSteph issued the following comment:
"President Trump's point was not to diminish the valor of our military heroes but to highlight the different nature of these two prestigious awards. The Presidential Medal of Freedom recognizes achievements in various fields while honoring individuals who are alive to receive it. In contrast, the Congressional Medal of Honor is often a solemn acknowledgment of extraordinary acts of heroism, sometimes at the cost of the recipient's life.
"Both medals are profound symbols of our nation's gratitude, representing different aspects of service and sacrifice. We must continue to hold deep respect for those who have earned these honors, understanding the unique circumstances that each award represents."
13News Now is still waiting to hear back from Kiggans and Youngkin.
