From PBS NewsHour.
President Donald Trump presented the Medal of Honor to a 100-year-old veteran during his State of the Union address Tuesday.
Navy fighter pilot Royce Williams served in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam, flying more than 220 missions, Trump said.
In his first aerial combat during the Korean War, Williams was “outnumbered and outgunned,” Trump said.
“Royce led the takedown of four enemy jets and almost destroyed the others, vanquishing his adversaries while taking 263 bullets to his own plane and being seriously hurt,” the president added said.
Trump then asked his wife, first lady Melania Trump, to present the Medal of Honor to Williams.
Trump’s address comes after 13 months of break-neck deregulation, a record number of executive actions, mass layoffs, aggressive immigration tactics and more.
Ahead of the speech, Trump was expected to outline his administration’s accomplishments, make his case for keeping his party in power this November and celebrate the 250th anniversary of America’s independence.
At the same time, a number of pain points have threatened to overshadow Trump’s positive messages during his primetime speech.
On Friday, the Supreme Court delivered a major setback to Trump’s agenda when it struck down his sweeping tariffs. A partial government shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security, brought on by Democratic opposition to Trump’s aggressive immigration enforcement, seems to have no end in sight. And questions about the Jeffrey Epstein investigation continue to dog his administration.
According to the latest PBS News/NPR/ Marist poll, 60% of Americans say the country is worse off compared to a year ago, while 40% believe the country is in better shape.
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