Trump Says He Deserves the Congressional Medal of Honor for His 2018 Visit to Iraq: ‘I Was Extremely Brave’

President Donald Trump joked that he once considered awarding himself the Congressional Medal of Honor during a recent speech.

Speaking to supporters in Rome, Georgia, on Thursday, Feb. 19, Trump, 79, reflected on his surprise visit to U.S. troops at Al Asad Air Force Base in Iraq in December 2018.

“I decided to go to Iraq. I was extremely brave,” Trump said, according to footage published by ABC News 4. “So brave, in fact, that I wanted to give myself the Congressional Medal of Honor.”

Trump recalled asking his staff whether such a move would be permitted. He then acknowledged the significance of the award, noting that it has been granted to individuals who demonstrated extraordinary bravery in combat.

“So many guys are seriously brave,” he said. “They come in and their arms are missing, their legs are missing. Their stories are unbelievable. And I said that’s a little stretch if I gave myself one.”

Continuing in a lighthearted tone, Trump added, “Someday I’m going to try. I’m going to test the law,” before remarking, “You know, I’m having fun.”

Trump also predicted media coverage of his comments, joking that “fake news” outlets would claim he had been “rebuffed by the audience.”

The Congressional Medal of Honor is the United States’ highest military decoration. According to the Congressional Gold Medal Society, it is awarded to members of the U.S. armed forces who distinguish themselves through acts of valor in combat.

The award remains exceedingly rare. Of the approximately 40 million Americans who have served in the military since the medal’s establishment in 1861, only 3,528 individuals have received it. The honor has historically been awarded posthumously, and there are currently just 61 living recipients.

While Trump made clear he was joking about awarding himself the medal, he has previously spoken publicly about other honors. He recently suggested he deserved the Nobel Peace Prize for resolving what he described as “seven unendable wars.”

In October, Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado was named the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize laureate. In January, Machado announced she had given her medal to Trump. Days later, the Norwegian Nobel Committee issued a statement clarifying that possession of a medal does not change the official recipient of the prize.

“Regardless of what may happen to the medal, the diploma, or the prize money, it is and remains the original laureate who is recorded in history as the recipient,” the committee stated.