Biden to recognize Hillary Clinton, Bono and more with Presidential Medal of Freedom
CNN
President Joe Biden will award the nation’s highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, to 19 people Saturday, recognizing a broad swathe of luminaries across politics, culture and the arts, including former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, designer Ralph Lauren, soccer superstar Lionel Messi, U2 frontman Bono and philanthropist and megadonor George Soros.
President Joe Biden will award the nation’s highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, to 19 people Saturday, recognizing a broad swathe of luminaries across politics, culture and the arts, including former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, designer Ralph Lauren, soccer superstar Lionel Messi, U2 frontman Bono and philanthropist and megadonor George Soros. The medal is presented to people “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 a White House statement. Biden himself is a recipient, having been presented with the medal by then-President Barack Obama in the closing days of his administration. “President Biden believes great leaders keep the faith, give everyone a fair shot, and put decency above all else,” the White House said in the statement. “These nineteen individuals are great leaders who have made America a better place. They are great leaders because they are good people who have made extraordinary contributions to their country and the world.” Two prominent American political figures will be posthumously honored: former Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy and former Michigan Republican Gov. George Romney, the father of former Sen. Mitt Romney. In remarks eulogizing Kennedy’s wife Ethel last year, Biden said he had “only two political heroes in my life: Dr. [Martin Luther King Jr.] and Bobby Kennedy,” while noting he’d decorated his Oval Office with a bust of Kennedy. The storied political family had made national headlines in recent months with the Kennedys’ second-eldest son, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., controversially chosen by President-elect Donald Trump to be the next Department of Health and Human Services secretary. Biden has previously recognized a number of political allies with the award, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and South Carolina Congressman Jim Clyburn last year.
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