Trump, who did not serve in the Vietnam War due to evading the draft, rationalized calling himself a hero on The Mark Levin Show on Tuesday, citing his military decisions.

He mentioned collaborating with Netanyahu — who is facing an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court over alleged war crimes — to negotiate the release of hostages held by Hamas.

By 2019, the elder Trump quipped about having wanted a Medal of Honor and even asking about giving himself one, before being dissuaded.

In a conversation with Piers Morgan that year, Trump commented on his non-service past by saying, “I think I make up for that right now” through advocating for increased military budgets.

And in 2020 he said while discussing McCain: “I will be a better warrior than anybody.”

Trump’s 2023 Memorial Day message on Truth Social was in a similar vein.

He expressed holiday wishes to those who made the “ultimate sacrifice” and also to others confronting “a very different, but equally dangerous fire.”

Trump has returned to this theme since surviving two assassination attempts during the 2024 campaign.

Trump remarked, “You’re not supposed to be alive for iconic,” adding that raising the flag in Iwo Jima was an iconic moment despite the danger, stating, “They took a lot of bullets putting up the flag.”