Donald Trump recently awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Jerry West, former NBA basketball player and general manager — the highest accolade a civilian can receive, reserved for people who have made “an especially meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of the United States, world peace, cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.”
You would think that would be a difficult thing to fuck up, right? I mean, you say a little something nice about the recipient, you ceremoniously place the medal around their neck, everyone claps politely and then you go on about your day, right?
But this is Donald Trump we’re talking about, folks. And that man couldn’t pour water out of a boot with the instructions printed on the heel.
Things started out okay enough. From MSNBC:
“At a White House ceremony, Trump praised West – whose iconic dribble can be seen on the logo for the National Basketball Association – as an ‘extraordinary American’ for his achievements on and off the court, saying the nation’s highest civilian honor was a ‘richly deserved’ award.”
But Donald quickly Trumped it up at the first opportunity.
Shortly after welcoming everyone to the gather, Trump began to read off West’s biographical information when he got to the part about him being born and raised in the state of West Virginia. And that’s when things went south.
Turning to Democratic West Virginian Senator Joe Manchin Trump stated, “I shouldn’t say this, Joe, but I won it by 43 points,” referencing West Virginia. “That’s a lot.”
“We love West Virginia. Probably helped you getting this award today,” Donald added after turning back to Jerry West.
While we’re sure that this was just another one of Trump’s “jokes” — where he most likely actually meant exactly what he said but he wants everyone to think that he’s just kidding — it still speaks volumes on the man’s inability to talk about, brag on, or recognize a single other soul than himself.
You can watch the clip here:
Featured image via screen captureÂ
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