"Stolen Valor": Trump Is Getting Ripped By Critics After Posting An AI Picture Of Himself With Military Medals He Never Earned
by Ed Mazza · BuzzFeedPosted 2 minutes ago
President Donald Trump is facing heat after posting an AI image of himself in a military uniform he never wore in reality, decorated with medals he never earned.
What’s more, the same image shows him standing between two U.S. military icons ― supposedly Gen. George S. Patton and Gen. Douglas MacArthur, although their artificial-intelligence-generated renditions aren’t very accurate ― both of whom are shown with a lower rank and fewer decorations than Trump:
Trump has long fantasized about himself as a military figure and often posts AI images of himself in various roles. Earlier this week, he posted an image of himself in uniform as a military leader during the Revolutionary War:
He’s even mused aloud ― more than once ― about bestowing himself with the Medal of Honor, which is the nation’s highest military honor. But Trump, who attended a private military academy as a teen, has never served in the armed forces. During the Vietnam War, he managed to dodge the draft with five deferments: four for college, and one for bone spurs in his heels.
He later told radio host Howard Stern that avoiding sexually transmitted diseases was “my personal Vietnam.”
But Trump’s latest image goes further than most of his AI slop. It not only depicts him in a uniform he never wore, with medals he never earned, but also shows two legitimate military legends ― and depicts them with a lower rank than Trump. In the pic, Trump shows himself as a four-star general. Patton and MacArthur, by contrast, are each shown as two-star generals. In reality, Patton had four stars and MacArthur was one of just nine to attain the rank of five-star general.
Given all that, the image struck a nerve with the president’s critics ― with some even accusing the president of “stolen valor”:
Stolen valor pic.twitter.com/RAewspS3ao
— Lakota Man (@LakotaMan1) August 5, 2026
@LakotaMan1 / Via x.com
If you served in the military and don’t feel insulted by this, you’re hopelessly brainwashed. pic.twitter.com/0vFm8sMV3Z
— Alex Cole (@acnewsitics) August 5, 2026
@acnewsitics / Via x.com
Stolen Valour. What a fucking scumbag. pic.twitter.com/jel6IwUtuy
— Marlene Robertson🇨🇦 (@marlene4719) August 4, 2026
@marlene4719 / Via x.com
Stolen valor. Hey my MAGA friends, when you have a moment, please defend this. Thanks.👇 pic.twitter.com/kn8RCUVqOA
— Joe Walsh (@WalshFreedom) August 5, 2026
@WalshFreedom / Via x.com
Stolen valor from Mr. Bone Spurs. An insult to every man and woman who has worn the uniform. pic.twitter.com/PHwqO39fGd
— MeidasTouch (@MeidasTouch) August 4, 2026
@MeidasTouch / Via x.com
This is a man who has a hard time looking in the mirror pic.twitter.com/1G7HaYkD51
— Adam Kinzinger (Slava Ukraini) 🇺🇸🇺🇦 (@AdamKinzinger) August 4, 2026
@AdamKinzinger / Via x.com
@StolenValor1: If this is not a textbook case of stolen valor, I don’t know what is.@thejointstaff @DeptofDefense: Please correct me if I’m wrong, but to my knowledge, #CadetBoneSpurs has never served a single day in uniform. In fact, he repeatedly avoided service by claiming a… https://t.co/f4M9VJVpvM
— Paul Hardy (@PabloDurissimo) August 5, 2026
@PabloDurissimo / Via x.com
Patton: Liberates France and then marches directly into Nazi Germany.
MacArthur: Defeats Japan and forces their surrender.
Trump: Renames it Department of War and then loses the first war he starts. pic.twitter.com/N8RpctSYZy
— Spencer Hakimian (@SpencerHakimian) August 5, 2026
@SpencerHakimian / Via x.com
5 Time Vietnam War defering SOB Cadet Bone Spurs @realDonaldTrump stealing valor by wearing a @USArmy WW2 era uniform. Joining the ranks of Patton and MacArthur is rich when he was non qualified for basic training under false pretenses. Coward. F’ Trump. https://t.co/Kt5FgGsv6r
— Jack Alden (@Alden4America) August 5, 2026
@Alden4America / Via x.com
Five-time draft dodger Trump just posted this pic.twitter.com/M5KiGyb5aW
— Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) August 4, 2026
@RpsAgainstTrump / Via x.com
Cadet Bone Spurs AI slop-imagines himself standing alongside Patton and MacArthur.
Patton would’ve thrown him in the brig for malingering. MacArthur would’ve dismissed him for lacking the courage to serve.
History remembers leaders who answered the call—not those who dodged it. pic.twitter.com/aFtZV89fvX
— Michael Embrich (@MikeEmbrich) August 5, 2026
@MikeEmbrich / Via x.com
President Trump’s audacity in presenting himself in a uniform he’s not worthy of wearing is an insult to the military.😕 pic.twitter.com/DifzofSYj7
— Thomas W (@oversoaringeyes) August 5, 2026
@oversoaringeyes / Via x.com
Trump never served in uniform, earned a rank, led troops into battle, or received a military decoration. Yet here he is dressing himself as a general beside Patton and MacArthur.
The presidency is a civilian office. Borrowing the honor of those who served to glorify yourself is… pic.twitter.com/CUUXBkD0ap
— Sarah Wood (@sarahwoodwriter) August 5, 2026
@sarahwoodwriter / Via x.com
Have you EVER known anyone so delusional? ….
Absolute disgrace!
What an insult to those who have served and sacrificed.
FO !! https://t.co/6l5asYKzjO
— Hayley X 😉 (@tindale_hayley) August 4, 2026
@tindale_hayley / Via x.com
I dare Donald Trump to appear in public dressed in that uniform. pic.twitter.com/6G1uhfXppz
— David L B (@dlb703) August 5, 2026
@dlb703 / Via x.com
This article originally appeared on HuffPost.