President Donald Trump donned a flight jacket and an admiral's cap with the words "USS Gerald R. Ford" on it, drawing the ire of some veterans on social media.
The commander-in-chief wore the items — which were personalized and given to him by the crew of the soon-to-be commissioned Navy warship, USA Today reported — while in Newport News, Va., Thursday to tour the ship and speak about his plans for a big increase in the defense budget, CBS News reported.
"They said, 'Here Mr. President, take this home.' I said, 'Let me wear it,'" Trump said during his address, USA Today reported. "And then they gave me the beautiful hat, and I said, 'You know? Maybe I'll do that.' "
"We have a great 'Make America Great Again' hat, but I said, 'This is a special day, we're wearing this,'" he added.
Some veterans were angry the president chose to wear the gifts.
In his speech, Trump called American sailers "the best war-fighting sailors anywhere in the world and it's not even close," and touted his plan to add $54 billion to the Pentagon's budget this year, saying the U.S. military will have "the finest equipment," CBC News reported.
"We will have the finest equipment in the world: planes, ships and everything else," he said. "We will give our military the tools you need to prevent war and if required to fight war and do only one thing, you know what that is? Win. We're going to start winning again."
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