Trump Endorsed, Not Awarded, by Bay of Pigs Vets
The Claim
U.S. President Donald Trump was given the "Bay of Pigs Award."
News posted on
Emerging story
On September 13, 2020, Trump tweeted that he was awarded the “highly honored Bay of Pigs Award” by Miami Cubans.
He then doubled down on the claim during a televised event.
The claim soon spread on social media, with many debating its veracity.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar’s investigation found that while veterans of the Bay of Pigs veterans brigade did endorse Trump for president in 2016 – their first ever presidential endorsement – and presented him with a painting of the group’s brigade shield, there is no such thing as the Bay of Pigs Award.
According to Merriam-Webster, an award is “something that is conferred or bestowed especially on the basis of merit or need.” Since the Bay of Pigs veteran group’s brigade shield painting was given in support of then-presidential nominee Trump, it cannot be said that it constitutes something conferred on the basis of merit or need.
The Bay of Pigs Brigade Association has since issued a press release saying that they presented a “recognition award” to Trump.
However, the way Trump discusses the painting makes it sound like a legitimate politics award, which is always given for merit, not recognition. The Bay of Pigs Award is not on the list of politics awards.
Trump is no stranger to misusing the word award. In 2019, he claimed several times that he was given a Michigan “Man of the Year Award," which does not seem to exist.
Since the use of the word award seems dubious in this context, and since the Bay of Pigs veterans brigade was merely endorsing Trump, we rate this misleading.
