ASHBURN, Va. — Donald Trump is now the proud owner of his own Purple Heart. Trump, who got four draft deferments during the Vietnam War, received the medal from an Iraq War veteran during a rally in Ashburn, Virginia, on Tuesday.
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“I said to him, ‘Is that like the real one, or is that a copy?’” Trump told the audience.
The Republican presidential nominee said retired Lt. Col. Louis Dorfman told him, “That’s my real Purple Heart. I have such confidence in you.”
“And I said, ‘Man, that’s like big stuff.’ I always wanted to get the Purple Heart,” Trump said. “This was much easier.”
The Purple Heart is awarded to U.S. service members who were wounded or killed while serving in the military. Dorfman received the medal after being injured in Iraq in 2007, Politico reports.
Trump invited Dorfman on stage for photos before telling the crowd that he’d asked Dorfman to make remarks, but the veteran told him, “No, sir. I’d just like you to keep saying what you’ve been saying.”
Social media lit up after Trump’s revelation.
Getting Vietnam draft deferments for bone spurs and then getting a copy of a Purple Heart. And hey, looks just like the real thing.
— Matt Pearce 🦅 (@mattdpearce) August 2, 2016
Who the hell *wants* a Purple Heart?
— Jim Stogdill 🙊 (@jstogdill) August 2, 2016
As a military guy, can say that no one --*no one*-- wants a Purple Heart. https://t.co/4IOisRA0dm
— John Noonan (@noonanjo) August 2, 2016
NBC's Katy Tur tweeted that she spoke with Dorfman afterwards, and he admitted what he gave Trump was a copy of his medal.
The man who gave Trump his purple heart told me earlier today, it was a copy of his purple heart.
— Katy Tur (@KatyTurNBC) August 2, 2016
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