Trump struggles to clasp Medal of Honor at awkward White House ceremony

 Donald Trump appeared unable to to clasp a Medal of Honor while conferring the award at an awkward White House ceremony. 

In a video shared to Bluesky, the US President appeared to struggle with the ends of the medal’s blue ribbon for about 40 seconds before simply tying the medal tightly around veteran Major Nicholas Dockery’s neck. 

The video shows the president speaking, but his audio is muted, so it is unclear what his exchange with Major Dockery entailed. When he finally attached the medal, nervous laughter broke out in the room. 

The Medal of Honor is the highest military honor that can be conferred. It is given to a soldier who “distinguishes himself conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty,” per the Congressional Medal of Honor Society. 

To receive the Medal of Honor at least two eyewitness statements have to be given on the recipient's extraordinary bravery. 

Dockery, a special forces soldier from Indiana, is a highly decorated war hero. In 2012, he was working in Kapisa Province, Afghanistan, to protect a meeting between Afghan and US leaders from being targeted by the Taliban. 

When Taliban forces ambushed the Afghan and American forces near the meeting, Dockery ran through enemy gunfire to protect his team. He then saved multiple lives, putting himself between a fellow soldier and a grenade, re-exposing himself to enemy fire to rescue two missing soldiers, and administering CPR to a soldier who was not breathing. 

The US Army said: “Dockery’s ability to repel multiple enemy attacks was the deciding factor that saved the lives of his fellow American and Afghan soldiers on the ground. His actions are in keeping with the finest traditions of military heroism, valour, intrepidity and gallantry, and reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Army.” 

The other recipients at the White House event were Marine Col. John W. Ripley and Retired Marine Corps Maj. James Capers, who both served in Vietnam. 

Trump is the second US President to turn 80 while in office. Recent polling shows that over half of Americans say he has noticeably declined in the past year. The same Reuters/Ipsos poll found that only a quarter of Americans believe him to be “even tempered.” 

Recently the president has gone on long rambles about the construction of the White House ballroom at inopportune times, ranted in long posts on Truth Social, and been photographed appearing to fall asleep at his desk. 

The president previously joked about giving himself the Medal of Honor. He has never served in the military, as he was diagnosed with bone spurs during the Vietnam War, despite being a college athlete. 

The Independent