President Donald Trump used one of the most-watched political stages in America Tuesday night to spotlight something far removed from tax policy and border debates: battlefield valor.
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During his 2026 State of the Union address, Trump awarded, or announced the awarding of, two Congressional Medals of Honor, recognizing acts of heroism separated by more than seven decades but united by what the president called “extraordinary American courage.”
The moments briefly transformed the House chamber from a partisan arena into a military ceremony complete with uniformed officers, wounded warriors, and a 100-year-old Navy fighter pilot receiving the nation’s highest military decoration.
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