OAN Staff Abril Elfi
3:40 PM – Thursday, August 7, 2025
President Donald Trump honored more than 100 recipients in observance of Purple Heart Day, a solemn occasion dedicated to commemorating the sacrifices of veterans who were wounded or lost their lives in combat.
Trump hosted the Thursday event at the White House, honoring Purple Heart Day.
The president commenced the event by acknowledging the presence of numerous Purple Heart recipients, extending an “everlasting thanks to you and your unbelievable families.”
According to the White House, three of the men honored, who were present at the ceremony, had given Trump their medals after the 2024 failed assassination attempt against him in Butler, Pennsylvania.
After a shooter’s bullet skimmed the upper part of Trump’s right ear in Butler, just days before the 2024 Republican National Convention (RNC), the then-presidential candidate was presented with medals by the Purple Heart recipients. The medals were handed to him at campaign events in the race’s final months.
The White House also stated that several of the Purple Heart winners were later invited to Trump’s campaign appearances in order to have the medals returned to them.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins, and Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, attended the event as well, along with Chris LaCivita, Trump’s former campaign co-manager.
The Purple Heart medal, originally established by George Washington in 1782 as the Badge of Military Merit, is one of the oldest and most revered military decorations still awarded to service members.
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