WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden bestowed the nation’s highest civilian honor on more than a dozen politicians, philanthropists and cultural icons during a ceremony at the White House on Saturday.
Nineteen people received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, including former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and billionaire donor George Soros. Four people were honored posthumously.
In a speech at the ceremony, Biden called the award recipients “a collection of people, with different backgrounds, beliefs and talents, different generations and different agendas, who use their remarkable gifts and unwavering passion to strengthen our resolve as a nation.” under an indivisible god.” , freedom and justice for all.”
He addressed the group and told them, “you answered the call to serve and led others to do the same, and you stand up for America’s values even when they are under attack, because you have been.”
The medal is “presented to individuals who have made exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values or security of the United States, world peace or other important social, public or private endeavors,” the White House said in a news release before the ceremony. ceremony.
“These nineteen Americans are great leaders who have made America a better place,” the statement added. “They are great leaders because they are good people who have made extraordinary contributions to their country and the world.”
Clinton received the award about two weeks before her former political rival, President-elect Donald Trump, is sworn in for a second term. In 2016, Clinton became the first woman nominated for president by a major party before losing to Trump.
Soros, who founded the Open Society Foundations, has contributed more than $32 billion to his organization, which supports a variety of human rights and pro-democracy causes, according to its website. He is also a major Democratic donor.
Other recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Saturday included humanitarian and chef José Andrés, whose World Central Kitchen has helped provide food to civilians in war zones and areas affected by natural disasters; Jane Goodall, a highly acclaimed conservationist and scientist; and Bill Nye, a science educator who rose to fame with the show “Bill Nye the Science Guy.”
Also honored were several entertainment, sports and cultural icons, including U2 singer Bono, actors Michael J. Fox and Denzel Washington, athletes Lionel Messi and Earvin “Magic” Johnson, and fashion icons Anna Wintour. and Ralph Lauren.
Biden also posthumously honored several recipients, including Robert F. Kennedy, who was assassinated in 1968 during a presidential run. Kennedy was a senator representing New York and had served as attorney general during the administration of his brother, President John F. Kennedy.
Also posthumously honored were Ashton Carter, who was defense secretary during the Obama administration and oversaw the U.S. offensive against the Islamic State, and George Romney, Michigan’s governor during the 1960s and father of former Sen. Mitt Romney, a Republican. -Utah.
Biden himself received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2017 during the final days of the Obama administration. Then-President Barack Obama surprised Biden with the award, which was presented “with distinction,” an added honor.
Biden has awarded the medal to dozens of people during his four years in office. The ceremonies typically take place about once a year, although Biden also awarded the medal to former Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards in November.
Earlier this week, Biden awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal to 20 recipients, including Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Mississippi, and former Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyoming. Thompson and Cheney sat on the House committee on Jan. 6 and faced Trump’s wrath. The Presidential Citizens Medal is the second-highest civilian honor, behind the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
