In the East Room of the White House on a frigid Saturday afternoon, President Joe Biden awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to 19 of the best-known names in politics, sports, entertainment, civil rights, LGBT advocacy and science.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton elicited a standing ovation from the audience when she received her medal. Clinton was accompanied at the ceremony by her husband, former President Bill Clinton, her daughter Chelsea Clinton, and her grandchildren. Democratic philanthropist George Soros and actor and director Denzel Washington also received the nation's highest civilian honor at a White House ceremony.
“For the last time as President, I have the honor of awarding the Medal of Freedom, our nation's highest civilian honor, to a group of exceptional people, truly exceptional, who gave their sacred effort, their sacred effort, to shape the culture and the cause.” “America,” Biden said in his opening speech.
“Let me say to each and every one of you, thank you, thank you, thank you for everything you have done to help this country,” Biden said Saturday.
Four medals were awarded posthumously. They went to George W. Romney, who served as 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 founded the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party and laid the foundation for the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Kennedy is the father of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services. “Bobby is one of my true political heroes,” Biden said. “I love him and miss him terribly.”
Romney is the father of former Utah Republican Senator Mitt Romney, one of Trump's staunch conservative critics.
Biden has just days left in the presidential office and has spent the past few days handing out awards and medals to brave military veterans, brave law enforcement officials and exceptional Americans.
The White House said Medal of Freedom recipients have made “exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values, or security of the United States, world peace, or other significant community, public, or private endeavors.”
Among the major philanthropists to receive the award are Spanish-American chef José Andrés, whose charity World Central Kitchen has become one of the world's best-known food relief organizations, and Bono, frontman for the rock band U2 and social justice activist.
Alex Soros, Soros' son, received the medal on behalf of his father. “As an immigrant who found freedom and prosperity in America, I am deeply moved by this honor,” Soros said in an email statement.
Sports and entertainment stars honored include professional soccer player Lionel Messi, who did not attend the event; basketball legend and retired Los Angeles Lakers businessman Earvin “Magic” Johnson; actor Michael J. Fox, an outspoken advocate for Parkinson's disease research and development; and William Sanford Nye, known to generations of students as “Bill Nye the Science Guy.”
Other award winners include conservationist Jane Goodall; longtime Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour; American fashion designer Ralph Lauren; American Film Institute founder George Stevens Jr.; LGBTQ+ entrepreneur and activist Tim Gill; and David Rubinstein, co-founder of global investment firm The Carlyle Group.
Lauren is the first fashion designer to receive this honor.
Last year, Biden awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to 19 people, including the late Medgar Evers, House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, Rep. James Clyburn of South Carolina, and actress Michelle Yeoh.
The Presidential Medal of Freedom was awarded 654 times between 1963 and 2024, according to the Congressional Research Service. Notable Medal of Freedom recipients from the past include Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Maya Angelou, and Mother Teresa.
