Trump speaks at Congressional Medal of Honor Society reception — live updates

President Trump is speaking to the Congressional Medal of Honor Society at a White House reception Wednesday. 

“A lot of very brave people in this room,” Mr. Trump said. 

The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration Congress bestows to a member of the armed forces for bravery in combat. The Congressional Medal of Honor Society keeps records of past recipients. According to their count, there are 72 living Medal of Honor recipients, out of 3,503 who have received the award. The president said nearly half of those recipients were present Wednesday night. 

“Each of you went above and beyond the call of duty,” he said, praising the recipients for making a “lasting mark” on the nation. 

Mr. Trump praised the recipients as the strongest, bravest and finest in the nation.

“See, my ego’s not that big,” the president joked. 

Last month, Mr. Trump awarded a posthumous Medal of Honor to an Air Force sergeant who died in an attempt to save a Navy SEAL in Afghanistan in 2002. 

The president often praises the military, and has said he is making the military stronger than it ever was before. 

Mr. Trump will deliver remarks to the society before heading off to fundraisers in support of the Trump Victory Fund benefitting both the Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee.