I’m not really sure what’s worse: New York Times columnist Paul Krugman attempting to differentiate between “brands of anti-Semitism”, his poor track record when it comes to predicting the economy, or his latest gripe: the worthiness of Medal of Freedom recipients.

On Monday, President Trump awarded golfing champ Tiger Woods with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in a Rose Garden ceremony:

“Tiger, we are inspired by everything you’ve become and attained. The job you’ve done is incredible,” Trump said to Woods. “Your spectacular achievements on the golf course, your triumph over physical adversity and your relentless will to win, win, win; these qualities embody the American spirit of pushing boundaries, defying limits and always striving for greatness.”

Trump, an avid golfer who played with Woods at the president’s golf club in Florida this past February, also referred to Woods as “a true legend, an extraordinary athlete who has transformed golf and achieved new levels of dominance.”

“He’s also a great person. He’s a great guy,” Trump added.

During the ceremony, the president recounted highlights of Woods’ career in detailed, sometimes flowery language as the 43-year-old golfer stood stoically beside him. Both men were clad in blue suits and red ties, matching Woods’ traditional Sunday apparel on the golf course.

[…]

Trump announced that Woods would receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom last month after Woods won the Masters Tournament. It was the 43-year-old Woods’ first victory at Augusta National since 2005 and his first major title since 2008.

.@TigerWoods receives the Presidential Medal of Freedom

Full video here: https://t.co/BiBohixTlb pic.twitter.com/xnFWSDDaIZ

— CSPAN (@cspan) May 6, 2019

As it turns out, this was upsetting to Nobel Memorial Prize winner Krugman, who took to the Twitter machine to lament about how far the criteria for receiving such honors had supposedly fallen under Trump:

I'm old enough to remember when Presidential Medals of Freedom were given for showing courage and making sacrifices on behalf of the nation and the world. Tiger Woods … hits golf balls for money https://t.co/dYmWPVljL9

— Paul Krugman (@paulkrugman) May 7, 2019

Twitter users said ‘hold up a sec’:

Obama recipients who made great sacrifices on behalf of the nation and the world: Robert De Niro, Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, Michael Jordan, Lorne Michaels, Robert Redford, Vin Scully, Bruce Springsteen, Gloria Estefan, Barbra Streisand, Meryl Streep…https://t.co/HtSVIwvzmf https://t.co/pJAtKdWdJl

— Greg Pollowitz (@GPollowitz) May 7, 2019

But yes, other than Michael Jordan, Billie Jean King, Bill Russell, Stan Musial, Pat Summitt, Dean Smith, Ernie Banks, Charles Sifford, Yogi Berra, Willie Mays, Vin Scully, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, only very serious people. pic.twitter.com/Ns6rJDLm2D

— Cʜɪᴢᴀᴅ ⚜️🥃 (@AUChizad) May 7, 2019

pic.twitter.com/4WTyApnbCC

— Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) May 7, 2019

Woods said during his speech yesterday that he named his 10-year-old son after Charlie Sifford.

My advice to Kruggie going forward would be to take a novel approach to commenting on such matters: Think before you speak. I know it’s a tall order, but please – give it a try.

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—Sister Toldjah is a former liberal and a 15+ year veteran of blogging with an emphasis on media bias, social issues, and the culture wars. Read her Red State archives here. Connect with her on Twitter.–