In the East Room of the White House, on a very chilly Saturday afternoon, President Joe Biden gave the Presidential Medal of Freedom to 19 of the most important names in politics, sports activities, leisure, civil rights, LGBTQ+ advocacy and science.
Sports and leisure stars acknowledged embody skilled footballer Lionel Messi, who didn’t attend the occasion; Earvin “Magic” Johnson, basketball legend and retired Los Angeles Lakers businessman; actor Michael J. Fox, who’s an outspoken advocate for Parkinson’s illness analysis and growth; and William Sanford Nye, recognized to generations of scholars as “Bill Nye the Science Guy.”
“For the final time as president, I’ve the respect of awarding the Medal of Freedom, our nation’s highest civilian honor, to a gaggle of extraordinary folks, really extraordinary, who’ve given their sacred pledge, their sacred pledge , to form the tradition and reason for America,” Biden stated in his opening remarks.
“Let me say to every of you, thanks, thanks, thanks for all the pieces you might have accomplished to assist this nation,” Biden stated Saturday.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton he drew a standing ovation from the viewers as he acquired his medal. Clinton was accompanied to the occasion by her husband, former President Bill Clinton, daughter Chelsea Clinton and grandchildren. Democratic philanthropist George Soros and actor-director Denzel Washington they have been additionally awarded the nation’s highest civilian honor throughout a ceremony on the White House.
Four medals have been awarded posthumously. They went to George W. Romney, who served as each governor of Michigan and secretary of Housing and Urban Development; former Attorney General and Senator Robert F. Kennedy; Ash Carter, former Secretary of Defense; and Fannie Lou Hamer, who based the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party and laid the groundwork for the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Kennedy is the daddy of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of Health and Human Services. Biden stated: “Bobby is one in all my true political heroes. I like him and miss him dearly.”
Romney is the daddy of former Utah Republican Senator Mitt Romney, one in all Trump’s strongest conservative critics.
Biden has a number of days left within the presidential workplace and has spent the previous couple of days issuing of prizes and medals to gallant army veterans, brave legislation enforcement officers, and distinctive Americans.
The White House stated Medal of Freedom recipients have made “exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values or safety of the United States, to world peace, or to different necessary social endeavors, public or personal.”
Among the main philanthropists who’ve acquired the award is the Spanish-American chef José Andrés, whose World Central Kitchen Charity has turn into one of the crucial acknowledged meals aid organizations on the earth and Goodentrance man of the rock band U2 and social justice activist.
Soros’ son, Alex Soros, accepted the medal on his father’s behalf. In an emailed assertion, Soros stated, “As an immigrant who discovered freedom and prosperity in America, I’m deeply moved by this honor.”
Other honorees embody environmentalist Jane Goodall; Anna Wintour, longtime editor-in-chief of Vogue journal; American designer Ralph Lauren; American Film Institute founder George Stevens Jr.; entrepreneur and LGBTQ+ activist Tim Gill; and David Rubenstein, co-founder of worldwide funding agency The Carlyle Group.
Lauren is the primary designer to obtain the respect.
Last yr, Biden awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom out of 19 peopletogether with the late Medgar Evers, House Speaker Emeritus Nancy Pelosi, Congressman James Clyburn of South Carolina and actress Michelle Yeoh.
According to the Congressional Research Service, the Presidential Medal of Freedom has been awarded 654 instances between 1963 and 2024. Notable previous Medal of Freedom recipients embody Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Maya Angelou and Mother Teresa.
Associated Press reporting.
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