'We'll have a threesome': Trump's awkward Medal of Honour joke about his sons goes viral

President Donald Trump drew a mix of stunned silence, audible gasps, and eventual roaring laughter from a crowd on Wednesday after delivering an awkwardly phrased off-the-cuff joke about his two eldest sons and the nation’s highest military decoration.

The viral moment occurred roughly an hour into Trump’s speech at the dedication of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library.

While reflecting on the legacy of former President Theodore Roosevelt, Trump noted the rare historical instances where both a father and a son received the Medal of Honour. He highlighted Theodore Roosevelt and his son, Theodore Roosevelt Jr, as well as General Arthur MacArthur and his son, General Douglas MacArthur.

More from World

Spotting his sons, Donald Trump Jr and Eric Trump, sitting in the audience, the President veered away from his prepared remarks to pitch a new "father-son" trio—unwittingly using a highly provocative phrasing.

"Except for Arthur and Douglas MacArthur… they’re the only father and son pair to receive our nation's highest military award for courage above and beyond the call of duty," Trump told the crowd. "Now, as I see my two beautiful sons sitting there, I think I’m going to give one to myself, one to them, and we’ll have a threesome, OK?"

The room immediately reacted with a wave of surprised murmurs and laughter as the audience realised the accidental double entendre.

'I'm only kidding'

Realising the awkward phrasing of the joke, Trump quickly pivoted to clarify his math, modifying the setup to pitch a third famous pair of father-and-son recipients instead of a three-way award.

"Ok, I’ll pick out one of the two," Trump corrected, pointing toward Don Jr and Eric. "I’ll give them the Congressional Medal of Honour for something—for their genius at hunting—and I’ll get one for taking on 'Russia, Russia, Russia' or something, and we’ll have a third pair now."

He capped off the tangent by smiling and adding, "I'm only kidding."

A recurring theme

The awkward moment was actually the second time that day Trump had joked about awarding himself the prestigious military decoration. Earlier in the afternoon, during the library’s ribbon-cutting ceremony, Trump told attendees he had actively asked about the logistics of self-venerating.

"You know, I want to give one to myself, but they tell me—and I’m allowed to," Trump claimed, before jokingly complaining about his sons' lack of imagination. "I asked them, 'What have I done to deserve it?' and they couldn’t think of anything, so I’m not happy with them today."

Neither Donald Trump nor his eldest sons have ever served in the United States Armed Forces. The Medal of Honour is strictly reserved for military service members who distinguish themselves through gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of their lives above and beyond the call of duty in combat.

The rest of the President's speech frequently shifted between honouring Theodore Roosevelt's conservationist legacy and familiar political talking points, including criticisms of the Biden administration, border policy, and a defense of his own political record.