Donald Trump awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor to a 104-year-old veteran during a State of the Union address.
Posted by Badlands Media, Checked
- Sources
- 6 contradict
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 70%
Badlands MediaOct 15, 2026
The sources confirm a 100-year-old veteran, Royce Williams, received the Congressional Medal of Honor during the February 24, 2026 State of the Union, but they put his age at 100, not 104, and most report First Lady Melania Trump presented the medal rather than Donald Trump personally.
A detail. The sources confirm the gist; the verdict faults a detail such as a date, number or wording.
What we found
Contradicts. Sources describe Williams as 100 years old, not 104. The AP transcript quotes Trump saying 'at 100 years old,' and multiple outlets repeat the 100-year-old figure.[1][4][5][6]
Contradicts. ABC News and others report First Lady Melania Trump presented the medal to Williams, so the claim that Donald Trump personally awarded it is only partly accurate. The White House release says 'President Trump awarded' the medal to Chief Warrant Officer Eric Slover, who was presented it by Lt. Gen. Jonathan Braga.[2][3][6]
Supports. Royce Williams, a Navy aviator and Korean War veteran, received the Congressional Medal of Honor during the 2026 State of the Union address, as reported by Reuters, the AP transcript, and the White House.[1][2][3]
Context. The post's own passage describes the medal recipient as a 104-year-old soldier, while sources consistently identify the recipient as a 100-year-old naval aviator, not a soldier.[1][6]
Sources
6 sources: 2 fact-checkers, 1 primary, 1 tier 2, 2 not rated
- 1Read the complete transcript of Trump's 2026 State ...apnews.com · fact-checker · cited for: contradicts, supports, context
- 2President Donald Trump delivers the State of the Unionreuters.com · fact-checker · cited for: contradicts, supports
- 3President Trump Delivers his 2026 State of the Union Addresswhitehouse.gov · primary source · cited for: contradicts, supports
- 48 takeaways from Trump's 2026 State of the Union addresspbs.org · tier 2 · cited for: contradicts
- 5Here is everyone Trump awarded a medal to during the State of the ...kcbd.com · not rated · cited for: contradicts
- 6Trump awards Medals of Honor to 2 military pilots during ...abcnews.com · not rated · cited for: contradicts, context
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post