President Donald Trump, a coward and a liar who got out of Vietnam with five draft deferments—including a bogus bone-spurs claim—keeps posting artificial intelligence-generated pictures of himself as a Medal of Honor-winning four-star general — and angry veterans are calling on Congress to do something about it.
Veterans and other critics are calling Trump a fraud over the AI-generated images that depict the draft-dodging commander-in-chief as a decorated four-star general — a portrayal they say amounts to stolen valor.
They say Trump deserves to be censured by Congress over the insulting acts of disrespect, particularly as they occur during a war that he started illegally without provocation or congressional authorization.
Trump circulated AI images casting himself as a military commander, including one that places him between two of the most celebrated American generals of World War II — despite never having served in the armed forces.
The images, which Trump has shared on his Truth Social platform, depict him wearing a full dress uniform covered in military decorations, including a Medal of Honor and a large rack of service ribbons, military badges and four-star general insignia.
The portrayals have drawn widespread condemnation from veterans and critics who describe them as “stolen valor” — the colloquial term for falsely claiming military honors.
The Patton and MacArthur Image
One image posted by Trump shows him standing between Gens. George S. Patton and Douglas MacArthur, with the caption “Patton, Trump, MacArthur.” Both generals are depicted with fewer stars than Trump, a historical inaccuracy that demotes two of America’s most decorated military leaders.
MacArthur became a five-star General of the Army in December 1944, one of only nine individuals in U.S. history to hold that rank.
Yet the AI image gives MacArthur insignia associated with a much lower rank. It also depicts him with uniform features that American generals did not wear.
Patton’s uniform contains similar historical errors, including red shoulder boards and collar insignia that were not part of a U.S. Army general’s World War II uniform.
Trump, who has never served in the military, is depicted wearing a large rack of service ribbons, military badges and four-star general insignia.
The rank of four-star general requires nomination by the president, confirmation by the Senate, and typically decades of military service culminating in a senior command position.
A separate AI-generated portrait of Trump wearing a uniform covered in military decorations circulated online in September.
The bogus image depicts Trump in an olive-drab uniform with a blue ribbon holding a star-shaped Medal of Honor pendant around his neck, silver wings on his chest, and multiple rows of colorful service ribbons.
The specific ribbons cannot be accurately identified due to the fake nature of the image, but the categories of awards depicted carry strict eligibility requirements that Trump does not meet:
Medal of Honor — The nation’s highest military decoration, awarded only to service members who display “conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty” in combat. Requirements include at least two eyewitness testimonies under oath, complete documentation of the heroic action, and approval through the chain of command up to the president. Federal law requires recommendations to be submitted within three years of the action and the medal to be presented within five years.
Purple Heart — Awarded to service members wounded or killed by enemy action. Eligibility requires the wound to be directly caused by enemy action, with official medical treatment records.
Bronze Star Medal — Awarded for heroic or meritorious achievement or service in operations against an armed enemy, with a degree of valor lower than that required for the Silver Star.
Legion of Merit — Awarded for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services, with performance required to be “clearly exceptional.”
Combat Action Ribbon — Requires actual participation in ground or surface combat.
Parachutist Badge — Requires completion of airborne training and at least five successful parachute jumps.
Aviator Badge — Requires completion of flight training and a specified number of flight hours.
There is no evidence that Trump posted the separate medal-covered portrait that circulated online in September.
Trump’s Record of Draft Dodging
Trump has no military record that could qualify him for such service decorations. During the Vietnam War era, he received five draft deferments — four educational deferments and a medical deferment that claimed he was afflicted with bone spurs in his heels. He has never undergone military training or served in uniform.
Critics have condemned the images as an insult to service members.
One retired U.S. Army paratrooper opined: “Trump never served in uniform, yet AI-generated images portraying him in military gear, wearing parachutist badges and rows of ribbons he never earned are being promoted as if they were real. For those who actually served, that isn’t just politics. It’s deeply disrespectful.”
Some have questioned whether such AI images fall under the Stolen Valor Act, which primarily targets individuals who verbally or in writing falsely claim to have received military decorations.
Whether AI-generated images are covered by the law remains unclear.
The White House did not respond to multiple requests for comment, but this is not the first time Trump has earned the ire of military veterans.
Myeshia Johnson, the widow of Army Sgt. La David Johnson, publicly criticized Donald Trump in October 2017 after he stumbled over her husband’s name and told her that her husband “knew what he signed up for” during a condolence phone call.
The 25-year-old South Florida native was one of four soldiers killed in Niger in October 2017, when their patrol was ambushed by up to 50 militants believed to be linked to Islamic State after leaving a meeting with tribal leaders near the Mali border.
During an appearance at the Family Leadership Summit in Ames, Iowa, in July 2015, Trump criticized Senator John McCain by stating, “He’s not a war hero. He’s a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren’t captured.”
McCain was a Navy pilot whose plane was shot down over Vietnam in 1967. He spent five and a half years as a prisoner of war in the Hanoi Hilton, where he faced repeated torture and two years in solitary confinement.
The ACLU, Common Defense, the Chamberlain Network, and more than 40 veterans demanded that Congress take action against Trump over the administration’s abuse of military powers.
“In the United States, the federal military should not be used for domestic law enforcement,” said former U.S. Army Captain and ACLU Senior Project Manager Jessica Apgar. “That is a fundamental principle embodied in the Posse Comitatus Act, one that helps separate our democracy from dictatorships abroad.”
“History shows what happens when we cross that line,” said Apgar. “The tragedy at Ohio’s Kent State University in 1970, when National Guard troops shot at student demonstrators, proves that putting military troops in our communities can result in disastrous consequences. National Guard troops should be reserved for genuine emergencies, not deployed to our cities to serve the president’s political whims.” Kent State continues to serve as a reminder of what happens when we comingle military troops and policing of civilians.”
More than 38,000 citizens signed a petition urging senators to protect our freedoms by co-sponsoring the Military in Law Enforcement Accountability Act.
“Military troops do not belong on our streets and should never be used to police civilians. Yet in recent months, we have seen an escalation in the use of deploying troops and militarized federal agents into communities across the U.S. by President Trump,” said the petition. “These deployments blur the lines between the military and law enforcement – and are setting us on a path straight from the authoritarian playbook.”
Democratic lawmakers with military backgrounds—including Sens. Mark Kelly and Elissa Slotkin, alongside Reps. Maggie Goodlander, Jason Crow, Chris DeLuzio, and Chrissy Houlahan—released a public video that reminded troops that their primary allegiance is to the U.S. Constitution and that they have a legal obligation to refuse unlawful or unconstitutional directives.
VoteVets and similar advocacy groups objected to a proposed 250-foot triumphal arch near Arlington National Cemetery, arguing that the massive monument disrespects the solemnity of the grounds.
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