Trump's unusual approach to tying veteran's Medal of Honor fuels sad point

Donald Trump found himself in the middle of an awkward moment during the Medal of Honour ceremony at the White House.

In a video shared to social media, the US president seemed to struggle clasping the medal’s blue ribbon for several seconds, which probably felt a lot longer in the moment, before deciding the tie the medal rather tightly around the neck of veteran Major Nicholas Dockery.

Although the video shows the president speaking, his audio cannot be heard. At the end of the video, an eruption of laughter can be heard, as Dockery turns around to face Trump who then adjusts the front of the medal.

The Medal of Honor is the highest military honor that can be granted. According to the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, it is conferred to a soldier who ‘distinguishes himself conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty’.

At least two witness statements have to be given for a soldier to receive the Medal of Honor explaining the recipient’s bravery.

The medal ceremony went viral (Photo by Al Drago/Getty Images)

The awkward moment at the ceremony went viral and people are airing their thoughts about the blunder.

“The bare minimum a president should do in preparing for this type of important ceremony is make damn certain you can physically bestow the medal properly, even if it involves practicing a few times beforehand,” one social media user complained.

Another person criticised the moment, writing: “How to take the most distinguished military award and embarrass it.”

A third X (formerly Twitter) user lamented: “How disrespectful to honor someone with such lack of integrity.”

A fourth person quipped: “Someone tell Donny that medal is too tight.”

While someone else retorted: “Thought for a minute he was trying to strangle him.”

Trump apparently struggled to clasp the medal's ribbon (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Dockery is a Special Forces soldier from Indiana. In 2012, the highly decorated war hero was deployed to Afghanistan’s Kapisa Province, where he was tasked with helping secure a meeting between Afghan and US leaders against potential Taliban attacks.

When Taliban fighters launched an ambush close to the meeting site, Dockery charged through enemy gunfire to protect his team.

He repeatedly put his own life at risk to save others and shielded a fellow soldier from a grenade blast, returned to hostile fire to rescue two missing soldiers, and administered CPR to a wounded soldier who had stopped breathing.

“Dockery’s ability to repel multiple enemy attacks was the deciding factor that saved the lives of his fellow American and Afghan soldiers on the ground,” the US Army said in a statement. “His actions are in keeping with the finest traditions of military heroism, valor, intrepidity and gallantry, and reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Army.”