Trump Donates Roosevelt's Medal of Honor to Library, Says He Wants One for Himself

Swipe for next article

Liveupdated

Trump live updates: President sets his eyes on a new prize and wants the Medal of Honor

The president said his sons ‘couldn’t think’ of a reason why he should be awarded the Medal of Honor

During the dedication ceremony for the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in North Dakota on Wednesday, President Donald Trump set his sights on an award other than the Nobel Peace Prize.

Trump said he was donating Roosevelt’s Medal of Honor — which had been displayed in the White House — to the newly unveiled library, and added that he wants one for himself.

He said he discussed the matter with his eldest sons, telling them: “Fellas, I’d love to give one of them to me. What have I done that, where I deserve it?”

“They couldn’t think of anything,” the 80-year-old president said, sparking laughter.

Trump has repeatedly made clear that he wants the Nobel Peace Prize, often posting about it on Truth Social and raising the matter during official events.

After he was passed over for last year’s prize, which is awarded by the Norwegian Nobel Committee, he warned the country’s prime minister that he “no longer feels an obligation to think purely of peace.”

In addition to his Medal of Honor, Teddy Roosevelt also won a Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to end the Russo-Japanese War. It is kept in the White House. John Bolton, Trump’s former national security adviser, said previously that he “always worried” Trump would try to take it.

Trump donates Roosevelt's Medal of Honor to library — and says he wants one for himself

President Trump donated the Teddy Roosevelt’s Medal of Honor to the 26th president’s library during a dedication ceremony in North Dakota on Wednesday.

Roosevelt received the award for his “conspicuous gallantry” and “acts of bravery” in the Spanish-American War. It was previously displayed in the White House.

Trump expressed that he wants the same award for himself.

He said he discussed the matter with his eldest sons, telling them: “Fellas, I’d love to give one of them to me. What have I done that, where I deserve it?”

“They couldn’t think of anything,” the 80-year-old president said, sparking laughter.

Brendan Rascius1 July 2026 20:30

The ‘AOC effect’ is now officially sweeping the primaries — and Republicans are licking their chops

On Tuesday night, socialists claimed another incumbent primary victory when Melat Kiros beat incumbent Rep. Diana DeGette in the Democratic Primary in Colorado’s 1st district.

As if to illustrate how much the moment represents generational change, DeGette first came to Congress the year that Kiros was born.

It’s just the latest in a wave of left-wing insurgent challenges. A week earlier to the day, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s three endorsed candidates won their primaries in the Big Apple.

Eric Garcia reports...

The ‘AOC effect’ is sweeping the primaries — and Republicans are licking their chops

As more centrist Democrats fall to socialists and far-left progressives, Republicans smell an opportunity to retain Congress. But, Eric Garcia writes, it is not that clear cut

Brendan Rascius1 July 2026 20:00

Trump says it's an 'honor' to take part in dedication ceremony for Roosevelt's library

President Trump delivered brief remarks to the press at the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in North Dakota on Wednesday.

He said it was an “honor” to be there for the dedication ceremony, adding: “It’s a very special palace…It’s a part of the country that I love, and I think they love me.”

Trump is expected to deliver a speech at the library later this afternoon.

Brendan Rascius1 July 2026 19:45

Rough Riders escort Trump's motorcade across North Dakota

Rough Riders, a group of reenactors honoring Teddy Roosevelt’s calvary unit, escorted President Trump’s motorcade as it traveled across North Dakota on Wednesday, video footage shows.

Brendan Rascius1 July 2026 19:25

In photos: Trump rides Freedom 250 train and greets supporters

President Trump took a ride in a BNSF Freedom 250-themed train ahead of his dedication ceremony for the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in North Dakota on Wednesday.

Photos show the GOP president posing aboard the train and greeting a crowd of supporters.

Brendan Rascius1 July 2026 19:12

JD Vance tells troops: Trump will ‘ask you to go to war’

While addressing U.S. service members at Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia Beach on Wednesday, Vice President JD Vance said the president would ask them to “go to war.”

“What we must never do is drop bombs just for the sake of dropping bombs, and that is what the president will never ask you to do,” Vance said.

“He’ll ask you to go to war, yes, but when he asks you to go to war, he’ll tell you exactly what you’re going for,” he added. “I think that is what you should expect out of your political leadership.”

Brendan Rascius1 July 2026 18:15

Trump arrives in North Dakota

President Trump has touched down in North Dakota, where he will deliver remarks at the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library.

On Wednesday afternoon, he was greeted at the airport by Sen. John Hoeven, a North Dakota Republican.

Brendan Rascius1 July 2026 17:39

White House spokesperson pushes back on criticism of Trump's earnings

White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly pushed back against criticism of President Trump following the revelation this week that he earned more than $2 billion during his first year in office.

“Let’s remember…why Americans elected this president to office,” Kelly told Fox News on Wednesday. “Because he was an outsider who was tremendously successful in business, built the New York City skyline, uh, and that’s what Americans wanted.”

“They wanted a businessman in office,” she continued. “So he has had a tremendously successful career. Of course his assets are in a blind trust, he has no control of those trades. He’s pretty busy as president.”

Brendan Rascius1 July 2026 16:58

Here's what Trump has planned for July 4

The countdown to July 4 is on. Here’s what the president has planned for the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

President Donald Trump said he will host a “spectacular TRUMP RALLY” and “TRIBUTE TO AMERICA” on the National Mall at 7 p.m. on July 4.

The event will feature military bands and orchestras performing selections from the president’s “playlist.”

It will also include flyovers and air shows, followed by “keynote remarks” from the president. Afterward, the National Mall will be illuminated by the “LARGEST FIREWORKS SHOW IN HISTORY.”

Brendan Rascius1 July 2026 16:31

The Trump administration has repeatedly sought to compare the president to Theodore Roosevelt

The Trump administration has repeatedly sought to compare President Trump to Theodore Roosvelt, the nation’s 26th president, whose presidential library he is set to dedicate in North Dakota this afternoon.

While signing the Great American Outdoors Act in 2020, Trump described his conservation record as “the same or almost as good” as that of the founder of the Bull Moose Party.

Senior administration officials, including former Vice President Mike Pence and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, have reinforced the comparison.

“Of course the parallels between Theodore Roosevelt and President Trump just keep adding up and up and up,” Burgum told Fox News this week. “Both of them [are] transformative people who really shaped not just the U.S., but shaped the world and the world order.”

Last July, the White House Instagram account posted an image of Trump inside the Colosseum, paired with Roosevelt’s well-known “man in the arena” quote. This year, federal office buildings in the capital were draped with large banners—many of which depicted Trump, though one featured Roosevelt.

The two men share some similarities: both were raised in New York City, survived assassination attempts and cast themselves as outsiders challenging the political establishment. One distinction, among many, is that Roosevelt was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1906 for helping broker an end to the Russo-Japanese War—an honor Trump does not share but has long sought.

John Bolton, a former national security adviser, said this year that he “always worried” that Trump might try to abscond with the prize, which is displayed at the White House.

Brendan Rascius1 July 2026 16:15