During a trip to Texas, former President Donald Trump visited the National Medal of Honor Museum in Arlington to honor recipients of the nation's highest military award for valor. The visit, held the day before the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, included an intimate gathering with Medal of Honor recipients and a signing ceremony for legislation establishing a new monument on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
Trump signed the Hershel "Woody" Williams National Medal of Honor Monument Location Act, which clears the path for the permanent monument to be constructed near the Lincoln Memorial. The legislation is named after the last surviving World War II Medal of Honor recipient, Hershel "Woody" Williams, who died in 2022.
"It's very special for all of us. It's special for me to be here, and it's an American treasure devoted to the best and bravest warriors of our country. And frankly, it's really the best they've ever produced," Trump stated during the event. He addressed approximately 100 guests, including 16 of the 65 living Medal of Honor recipients.
U.S. Army Lt. Col. William Swenson, a Medal of Honor recipient and a board member of the museum, emphasized the importance of remembrance and the role of monuments and museums in shaping national identity. "What we do to ensure that we have common history, common beliefs, is we have monuments and we have museums, we have our mythology that tells us who we are as Americans and what we will continue to be in the future," Swenson said.
Swenson, who served 22 years in the Army after graduating college just as the Sept. 11 attacks occurred, described the tragedy as a "seminal event" that shaped his future. He highlighted the nation's history of overcoming challenges, stating, "The United States is forged in fire. We've had revolutions, we've had civil wars, we've had global conflicts, we've had civil strife. There will always be challenges to our freedom and to our country, and it's up to us to move forward from those events and create that more perfect union."
Charlotte Jones, chairman of the museum's board of directors and daughter of Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, served as the emcee for the event. High-ranking Republican officials, including House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senator Ted Cruz, were also in attendance.
Troy Bertram, CEO of the National Medal of Honor Museum, described the institution not as a military history museum, but as a place focused on storytelling about courage and sacrifice. "We are not a military history museum. We are storytelling around the humans, about their courage, their sacrifice. Who they were before what they became," Bertram told Fox News Digital.
The event contrasted with a previous rally Trump held in Dallas, where he addressed tens of thousands of Republican voters. The museum visit focused on honoring military service and sacrifice.