Washington DC - Donald Trump has been facing mounting backlash after he made disparaging comments about the coveted Medal of Honor.

The Veterans of Foreign Wars issued a statement on Friday criticizing the former president after he compared the medal to a civilian award.

"Those comments not only diminish the significance of our nation's highest award for valor but also crassly characterized the sacrifices of those who have risked their lives above and beyond the call of duty," VFW National Commander Al Lipphardt wrote in the statement.

The campaign of Trump's 2024 rival, Kamala Harris, released a statement condemning his remarks as well, writing, "Donald Trump knows nothing about service to anyone or anything but himself.

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"For him to insult Medal of Honor recipients, just as he has previously attacked Gold Star families, mocked prisoners of war, and referred to those who lost their lives in service to our country as 'suckers' and 'losers,' should remind all Americans that we owe it to our service members, our country, and our future to make sure Donald Trump is never our nation's commander in chief again."

During a campaign event on Thursday, Trump told a crowd that the Medal of Freedom, an award issued by presidents to civilians, was "much better" than the Medal of Honor.

His remarks were quickly met with backlash from a number of veteran associations, including VoteVets, which said that Trump "hates veterans and their sacrifices because he looks so small in comparison."

While Trump hasn't commented on the backlash, his running mate, JD Vance, was asked about it during a press conference, and he argued his boss' words weren't at all "denigrating" to those who have received military honors.