Washington The White House said on Saturday that President Joe Biden will present over a dozen politicians, philanthropists, and cultural icons with the highest civilian honor in the country.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and billionaire donor George Soros are among the 19 people who have been awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The prizes will be presented to the winners during a White House ceremony on Saturday. Posthumous honors are being given to four individuals.
According to a news release from the White House, the medal is given to people who have made outstanding contributions to global peace, American prosperity, values, or security, or to other noteworthy societal, public, or private undertakings.
The statement went on to say that these 19 Americans are outstanding leaders who have improved America. They are outstanding leaders because they are decent individuals who have significantly impacted both their nation and the world.
About two weeks before Donald Trump, her erstwhile political foe, takes the oath of office for a second term, Clinton is scheduled to accept the prize. Clinton lost to Trump in 2016, but she was the first woman to be nominated for president by a major party.
According to the website of the Open Society Foundations, which he created, Soros has donated over $32 billion to the organization, which promotes a range of pro-democracy and human rights issues. He is a significant Democratic fundraiser as well.
Bill Nye, a science educator who gained notoriety with the show Bill Nye the Science Guy; Jane Goodall, a highly acclaimed scientist and conservationist; and humanitarian and chef Jos Andrs, whose World Central Kitchen has helped provide food for civilians in war zones and areas hit by natural disasters, were among the other people who received the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Saturday.
Athletes Lionel Messi and Earvin Magic Johnson, fashion icons Anna Wintour and Ralph Lauren, U2 singer Bono, actors Michael J. Fox and Denzel Washington, and other entertainment, sports, and cultural giants will also be honored.
Several awardees, including Robert F. Kennedy, who was slain in 1968 while running for president, will be honored posthumously by Biden. Kennedy, who represented New York in the Senate, had been attorney general under his brother, President John F. Kennedy.
George Romney, the governor of Michigan in the 1960s and the father of former Senator Mitt Romney, R-Utah, and Ashton Carter, who served as secretary of defense during the Obama administration and led the American campaign against the Islamic State, are also receiving posthumous honors.
In 2017, during the latter days of the Obama administration, Biden himself was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The award, which was given with distinction, was an additional honor that then-President Barack Obama gave to Biden as a surprise.
Throughout his four years in office, Biden has given the medal to scores of other people. Although Biden also presented the medal to Cecile Richards, the former president of Planned Parenthood, in November, the ceremonies typically occur roughly once a year.
Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., and former Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo, were among the 20 recipients of the Presidential Citizens Medal that Biden presented earlier this week. Trump has been angry with Thompson and Cheney, who were members of the House Jan. 6 committee. After the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Presidential Citizens Medal is the second-highest civilian award.
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