Trump jokes he wanted to award himself the Medal of Honor
Donald Trump drew laughs with a joke about giving himself the Congressional Medal of Honor as he celebrated veterans at the White House Thursday.
The President honored service members who had each shown acts of heroism that saved lives and repelled enemy forces in Vietnam and Afghanistan.
Trump brought some humor to the event when describing the prestige of the nation's highest military honor.
'I wanted to give it to myself but I was informed I couldn't do it,' the President said with a grin.
As the crowd laughed, he added: 'And I couldn't find anything where I was actually worthy so here we are.'
Trump bestowed the honors on Marine Corps Major James Capers Jr and Army Major Nicholas Dockery.
He also awarded it posthumously to Marine Corps Colonel John W Ripley, who died in 2008.
'These are great men, great people,' Trump said at the ceremony. 'We thank you and we will never, ever forget you.'
Donald Trump drew laughs with a joke about giving himself the Congressional Medal of Honor as he celebrated veterans at the White House Thursday
The President honored men who had each shown acts of heroism that saved lives and repelled enemy forces in Vietnam and Afghanistan. Pictured: Trump with Tom Ripley, son of John W Ripley who was posthumously awarded the honor
Capers, 88, was honored for risking his life to ensure the safety of his fellow Marines after they were ambushed in Vietnam in 1967.
A reconnaissance mission to find a suspected North Vietnamese base camp turned into days of bloody fighting in dense jungle, according to his citation.
On the fourth day, his team was ambushed and outnumbered by Vietnamese fighters. A mine explosion left Capers with a broken leg and serious wounds to his abdomen.
'After a shot of morphine, Jim asserted command of the firefight,' Trump said, drawing on accounts of the mission. 'He took over like nobody's ever seen before.'
Capers called in air support to repel the ambush. When a rescue helicopter arrived, Capers loaded all the wounded men before climbing aboard.
Trump shared a moving moment with him as he pinned the Medal of Honor around Capers' neck, clasping Capers by the shoulders and pulling him forward to make sure the medal was straight and level against his chest.
Capers had been keeping a straight face but broke into a smile when Trump grinned.
Ripley was honored for a heroic effort to halt the advance of North Vietnamese forces by blowing up a crucial bridge in 1972.
Trump awards the Medal of Honor to Afghan War veteran Second Lieutenant Nicholas Dockery
Major James Capers (pictured center), 88, was honored for risking his life to ensure the safety of his fellow Marines after they were ambushed in Vietnam in 1967
A force of more than 30,000 North Vietnamese soldiers and 200 tanks was approaching the bridge in the village of Dong Ha when Ripley single-handedly placed 500 pounds of explosives to bring it down, according to his citation.
Over the course of five hours, Ripley climbed back and forth along the bridge's steel beams, exposing himself to enemy fire as he placed the charges.
'John completed not one, not two, but five such trips,' Trump said, calling him a 'very strong guy.'
Ripley said a prayer, then detonated the bridge, sending it into the water below and halting the North Vietnamese advance, Trump said.
Ripley died in 2008. His three sons and other family members attended the ceremony.
Dockery's platoon members were guarding a compound in Afghanistan's Kapisa Province in 2012 when they were ambushed by an estimated 150 Taliban fighters.
He raced across open ground to rally his scattered team then set out to find missing soldiers, according to his citation.
After carrying a wounded soldier away from gunfire, he spotted two enemy fighters heading toward another wounded soldier in an alley.
Pete Hegseth was among those in attendance for the ceremony
'I wanted to give it to myself but I was informed I couldn't do it,' the President said with a grin. As the crowd laughed, he added: 'And i couldn't find anything where I was actually worthy so here we are'
Dockery killed the two fighters before performing CPR on the American soldier to get him breathing again, his citation said.
He called in mortar support, then shielded the wounded soldier from the blasts with his own body.
After hours of fighting in the close urban setting, Dockery used smoke grenades to signal enemy positions for American gunships.
He refused to leave the village until all the wounded soldiers were taken to safety.
'You were the last man to depart the battlefield that day,' Trump told him, 'and you left it a legend and a hero.'
Badenoch blasts 'moaning' female Labour MPs over Burnham jobs 'quota'
Kemi Badenoch has told Labour women to earn a job in Andy Burnham's Cabinet instead of demanding they are handed jobs because of their gender.
The Tory leader lashed out today amid reports that female MPs are demanding the de-facto new prime minister introduce a 50:50 gender split 'quota' in his government.
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister also complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts.
But in a scathing article in the Times today Mrs Badenoch told them to 'stop moaning' and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'.
'There are many, many reasons why you shouldn't have any Milibands in the cabinet,' she said.
'But complaining that the boys haven't given them the right jobs or that the boys are taking all the jobs, just shows that Labour's women still don't get it.'
The idea of quotas was also attacked by Baroness Jacqui Smith, Labour's Skills Minister.
Asked by Times Radio if Mr Burnham should reserve jobs for women, she said: 'No, I think what Andy Burnham should be doing is building the very best team around him to change this country.'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband (above, right, in 2010) is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts
But Mrs Badenoch told them to pipe down and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party and seen by the BBC has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs after he succeeds Sir Keir Starmer.
'We are asking you to demonstrate this change from day one and address the toxicity and misogyny within our own party and government,' it said.
Labour has never had a female leader, while the Conservatives have had three, and Mrs Badenoch urged the government to follow its meritocratic example.
'If you run a meritocracy, then you do not have to worry about jobs for the boys,' she wrote.
'Every woman who is a Conservative MP, every woman who has ever won the leadership, has had to fight to get where she is.
'By contrast, Labour women are demanding guarantees from Burnham. But the truth is he doesn't have to give any guarantees.
'If none of Labour's women are prepared to get their hands dirty and challenge him for the leadership, their demands are toothless.'
'In fact, it's quite revealing that the women's parliamentary Labour Party has written to Burnham asking him to commit himself to at least 50 per cent female ministers.
'This has nothing to do with meritocracy. It is yet more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country.'
