Biden awards Hillary Clinton, Soros the Medal of Freedom

Hadriana Lowenkron and Kate Queram, Bloomberg News on Jan 4, 2025

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WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to a group of entertainers, former government officials, athletes and philanthropists for their contributions to public service.

Nineteen people were honored at a White House ceremony on Saturday, the latest in a series of events Biden has held in the final weeks of his presidency as he tries to enshrine his legacy.

Among those who received the medal were former Secretary of State and U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton, retired basketball star Earvin “Magic” Johnson, fashion designer Ralph Lauren, soccer player Lionel Messi, philanthropist George Soros, longtime fashion editor and media executive Anna Wintour and the film star Denzel Washington.

“You all literally embody the nation’s creed — e pluribus unum, out of many, one,” Biden said. A collection of people of different backgrounds, beliefs and talents, from different generations and different genders, using their remarkable gifts and unwavering passion to strengthen our resolve as one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the nation’s highest civilian honor, presented to individuals who have made “exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values, or security of the United States, world peace, or other significant societal, public or private endeavors,” according to the White House.

Although the Medal of Freedom is not meant to be partisan, the honorees can reflect the political leanings of a president. Clinton, the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee, ran against Donald Trump, who is about to return to the White House. Soros is a prominent supporter of liberal causes and candidates. And Robert F. Kennedy, the former attorney general and U.S. senator, was cited posthumously just as his son and namesake has been chosen by Trump to oversee public health policy.

Mitt Romney, the 2012 Republican nominee who spoke out against the influence of Trump over his party, also accepted a posthumous award on behalf of his father, George Romney, an auto company chief executive, Republican governor of Michigan and the third secretary of Housing and Urban Development.

In Trump’s first term, he presented the medal to the conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh and the Republican donor Miriam Adelson.

Other recipients on Saturday included the Spanish-born chef Josė Andrės, who founded World Central Kitchen, which the White House said “revolutionized the way food aid reaches communities affected by natural disasters and conflict around the world.”

Michael J. Fox, the actor best known for the "Back to the Future" movies, was honored for his advocacy for Parkinson’s disease research and development; William Nye, known as “Bill Nye the Science Guy,” for his championing of science education; David Rubenstein, co-founder of the Carlyle Group, for his dedication to the restoration of landmarks; and the singer Bono for his AIDS activism.

Tim Gill, founder of the publishing-software company Quark, was singled out for helping “to secure key victories in the fight for marriage equality and anti-discrimination protections,” according to the White House. The filmmaker George Stevens Jr., the founder of the American Film Institute, was praised for upholding “American ideals of racial equity and justice for half a century.” Biden also presented the medal to the primatologist and conservationist Jane Goodall.

Biden also posthumously honored Ashton Carter, a Defense secretary in the Obama administration and Fannie Lou Hamer, a founder of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party who laid the groundwork for the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

First awarded by President John F. Kennedy, the medal is considered the highest civilian honor a president can bestow. Presidents often try to make a statement about their cultural values in awarding the medal. Barack Obama awarded it more prolifically than any modern president, with his picks reflecting unprecedented reflect racial, ethnic and gender diversity. Trump gave them out more sparingly, and preferred champion athletes and political allies.

Biden — who himself received the medal from Obama in 2017 — has now awarded 56 such medals, more than any one-term president in history. Biden has also held ceremonies in recent days to award the medal of honor to military heroes and the medal of valor for public safety officers.

Biden on Thursday gave former Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., and Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., the Presidential Citizens Medal for their leadership of the congressional committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

The president on Friday awarded the Medal of Honor to seven former U.S. Army soldiers and the Medal of Valor to eight public safety officers for their acts of bravery.

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(With assistance from Gregory Korte and Josh Wingrove.)