Donald Trump drew attention online after making a self-deprecating joke during a White House Medal of Honor ceremony and appearing to fumble briefly with one recipient’s medal clasp.
The remarks came during a ceremony on Thursday, June 18, 2026, honoring three veterans whose wartime actions were recognized with the military’s highest decoration. Trump awarded the Medal of Honor to retired Marine Corps Maj. James Capers Jr. and retired Army Maj. Nicholas Dockery, and posthumously to Marine Corps Col. John W. Ripley.
The ceremony followed earlier legislation signed by Trump in March 2026 authorizing the honors for Capers, Dockery and Ripley for acts of valor in Vietnam, Afghanistan and Vietnam, respectively.
During his remarks, Trump joked:
“Only a few have received our highest military distinction, The Congressional Medal of Honor. I wanted to give it to myself, but I was informed that I couldn’t do it.”
He followed that with another quip:
“And I couldn’t find anything where I was actually worthy [for the honor], so here we are.”
Although the comment appeared to be made in jest, it quickly drew criticism online from people who said the remark was inappropriate at a ceremony honoring decorated service members.
“I wanted to give it to myself, but I was informed I couldn’t do it.”
President Trump joked about awarding himself the Medal of Honor before presenting the nation’s highest military distinction to three service members during a White House ceremony.
Trump called the recipients… pic.twitter.com/F1GXVIYhC2
— Fox News (@FoxNews) June 18, 2026
Some of the reaction also focused on the broader optics of the event, with viewers pointing to Trump’s tendency to go off-script during major appearances.
Earlier in the week, while at the G7 summit in France, Trump also sparked discussion after complimenting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as “the most beautiful-looking man” and saying he “looks so nice.” The moment was widely shared online and added to the string of offhand remarks that have followed him through the trip.
The ceremony also produced another widely shared moment when Trump appeared to struggle with the clasp while placing the medal around U.S. Army Major Nicholas Dockery’s neck.
Capers was recognized for risking his life to save fellow Marines after a deadly ambush in Vietnam in 1967, while Dockery was honored for actions in Afghanistan that helped protect other troops under fire. Ripley, who died in 2008, was recognized posthumously for extraordinary heroism in Vietnam.
Trump has increasingly leaned on public events to showcase his foreign policy agenda as well, including efforts to wrap up an interim peace framework with Iran and reopen the Strait of Hormuz after months of regional tension. The White House has said the deal is intended to stabilize shipping and reduce the risk of a wider conflict, though the agreement remains politically sensitive and closely watched.