This support comes even though he criticized the war record of U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, who was a prisoner of war in Vietnam, and he attacked a Gold Star family who spoke out against Trump during the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. Trump accepted a Purple Heart given to him by a veteran, saying he always wanted one and this was “much easier” than serving in the military. In May, he provided a list of veterans groups that received $5.6 million in donations — only after the Washington Post reported that Trump didn’t give his pledged $1 million donation until four months after saying he would do so at a fundraiser.