On my two prosthetic legs, I’ve spent time with former President Donald Trump on Air Force One, at Mar-a-Lago, on the campaign trail, in the White House and on Capitol Hill over the last eight years. From that experience, I can tell you that you’re full of it if you’re saying Trump doesn’t care about veterans, wounded warriors, or our men and women in uniform.  

I’m speaking out because I know Trump. He’s larger than life and battle-tested, but his heart is always with our service members. Whether he gives you a hug or a handshake, he doesn’t brush you off. He looks you in the eye and invests time in learning about your experiences and background because he wants to put America and Americans first, especially those who have worn a uniform.  

Trump has spent many campaign flights asking how I was injured and about the veterans I recovered with at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. He asks about my prosthetics, whether I have pain and how I deal with it. He constantly asks what veterans at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) are saying and where the department can be doing better. Countless times he’s picked my brain about the best nonprofits that are helping veterans and filing voids where the VA is coming up short.  

MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENT SOUNDS OFF ON BIDEN ADMIN: 'WE'VE LOST TOTAL RESPECT ON A WORLD FRAME'

These conversations have taken place mid-flight between campaign stops over Big Macs and fries or at Mar-a-Lago over plates of his mother’s meatloaf with James Brown, Pavarotti or Elvis blaring in the background. Through every interaction, I’ve seen a commander-In-chief who believes the military’s people are more important than the military’s hardware. 

Representative Brian Mast of Florida salutes at a campaign rally where former President and 2024 presidential nominee Donald Trump and vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance are scheduled to appear, at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on July 20, 2024. (Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)

Once, during a packed event at Mar-a-Lago, he pulled me aside and told me about an athlete friend who was in serious pain from injury. The friend was considering an amputation, and Trump asked me to connect with him to share my story and help him figure out the best course of action.  

Trump is the guy who, before we disembark Trump Force One, asks if he can grab my bag because he knows navigating those steep stairs with prosthetics is no small task. He’s the guy who told me at the Iowa State Fair to lean on his shoulder if needed because standing for long periods can be painful.  

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There are countless other personal stories I can tell you about Trump with Gold Star mothers and wounded veterans that show his respect for our fighters. That’s why if you attend any Trump rally across the country, you’ll see a veteran — like myself — ready to hand Trump their Purple Heart.  

Sometimes, you’ll see a veteran asking Trump to scratch former President Barack Obama or President Joe Biden’s name off their retirement documents and sign his own. We want to do that because Trump is fighting to make America worthy of our sacrifice.  

So, no matter what false narrative the Democrats and media try to sell you, know this: Trump doesn’t want us to be suckers who gave life and limb to serve a country we love but that doesn’t show us love back. He wants America to be a country every one of us should be willing to lay down our lives for without regret.  

The reality is the direction of America under Vice President Kamala Harris and President Biden is not worthy of our soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines. On their watch, soldiers were fired for refusing to be vaccinated, but illegal immigrants are free to walk in. Those same illegal immigrants then get free room and board funded by American taxpayers while veterans sleep on the street. This isn’t the America I bled for, and it sure as hell isn’t what my friends died for in combat.  

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The biggest slap in the face to every single soldier still in uniform is that a cognitively incapable Biden is the commander-In-chief. He shouldn’t be making decisions for green plastic army toys, much less life-and-death decisions for our nation’s most elite warriors. Every day he remains in office is a message sent to our soldiers that they are disposable.  

Donald Trump, on the other hand, treats our men and women in uniform with far more respect than either President Biden or Vice President Harris. Trump knows their lives matter, which is why he will make America great again and worthy of their sacrifice. 

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