WASHINGTON ― President Joe Biden on Saturday named former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and billionaire political activist and philanthropist George Soros recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, part of a group of 19 people selected for the nation’s highest civilian honor.
Others presented the medal by the outgoing president at a White House ceremony included U2 frontman Bono, actor Michael J. Fox, actor Denzel Washington, chef José Andrés and William Sanford Nye, better known as television’s “Bill Nye the Science Guy.”
From the sports world, decorated professional soccer player Lionel Messi of Argentina and retired NBA legend Earvin “Magic” Johnson also received the medal. Messi did not attend the ceremony because of a scheduling issue.
“You all you all literally embody the nation’s creed, e pluribus unum – out of many, one,” Biden told the recipients during the ceremony in the White House East Room. “You feed the hungry. You give hope to those who are hurting, and you craft the signs and sounds our movements and our memories.”
Four recipients were recognized posthumously: former Defense Secretary Ash Carter; civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer; Robert F. Kennedy, the former U.S. Attorney General and U.S. senator from New York, who was assassinated while running for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1968; and George Romney, a former Republican Michigan governor and chairman of American Motors Corporation.
Kennedy, one of Biden’s heroes and brother of the late President John F. Kennedy, is the father of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of the Health and Human Services department. Romney is the father of outgoing U.S. Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah.
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In choosing the 94-year-old Soros for the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Biden honored a major contributor to liberal and Democratic causes as well as Biden’s past presidential campaigns. Soros, a Hungarian-American of Jewish descent who made billions as a hedge fund manager, is a frequent target of criticism and conspiracy theories from the political right.
Clinton, the former first lady fiercely opposed by Republicans, received a standing ovation as she was introduced to the crowd during the ceremony. Clinton served as a U.S. senator from New York in addition to leading the State Department during the Obama administration. She ran unsuccessfully for president against Trump in 2016.
“All her career has been dedicated to an eternal truth: America’s ideals are sacred, and we must always defend and live by them,” said the citation read by a military aide before Biden draped medal around her neck.
Earlier this week, Biden awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal ‒ the country’s second highest civilian award ‒ to former Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., and Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., for their role leading the House committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. They were among 20 to receive the award.
Saturday’s recipients are the second group of Presidential Medal of Freedom honorees Biden has announced this year after awarding 19 others in May including former Vice President Al Gore, former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Below is the full list of Biden’s latest Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients:
Renowned chef and founder of the nonprofit World Central Kitchen
Frontman of the rock band U2 and activist against AIDS and poverty
Ashton Baldwin Carter (posthumous)
Defense secretary under President Barack Obama
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Former first lady, U.S. senator of New York, secretary of state and 2016 Democratic presidential nominee
Actor who has won five Emmy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and a Grammy Award, and an advocate for Parkinson’s disease research and development
Tim Gill
Entrepreneur and advocate for LGBTQI rights and equality
Conservationist known for work studying primates and human evolution
Fannie Lou Hamer (posthumous)
Founder of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party and civil rights activist
Retired basketball player who led the Los Angeles Lakers to five championships, entrepreneur and philanthropist working with underserved communities through his Magic Johnson Foundation”
Robert Francis Kennedy (posthumous)
Former U.S. Attorney General, U.S. senator who was assassinated while running for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1968
Fashion designer, known for starting the clothing company Ralph Lauren, and philanthropist most notably in the fight against cancer and the preservation of the Star-Spangled Banner.
Lionel Messi
Decorated professional soccer player who supports healthcare and education programs for children through the Leo Messi Foundation and serves as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador
William Sanford Nye
Known as “Bill Nye the Science Guy” on television educating children about science, works as CEO of the Planetary Society and as a vocal advocate for space exploration and environmental stewardship.
George W. Romney (posthumous)
Chairman and president of American Motors Corporation, the 43rd Governor of Michigan and the 3rd Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
David M. Rubenstein
Co-founder and co-chairman of The Carlyle Group, renowned for his philanthropy and generous support for the restoration of historic landmarks and the country’s cultural institutions
George Soros
Billionaire hedge fund manager, known for philanthropic work and supporting progressive and Democratic causes
George Stevens, Jr.
Film producer, director and playwright
Denzel Washington
Actor, director, and producer who has won two Academy Awards, a Tony Award, two Golden Globes, and the 2016 Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award
Fashion icon who has led Vogue as editor-in-chief since 1988
Contributing: Michael Collins
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Biden awards Medal of Freedom to Hillary Clinton and George Soros
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