Among the recipients of the top civilian honor are NBA legend Earvin “Magic” Johnson, fashion icon Anna Wintour and U2 singer Bono.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and billionaire pot stirrer George Soros will be honored at the White House on Saturday.NBC; Getty ImagesJan. 4, 2025, 4:00 AM CST / Updated Jan. 4, 2025, 12:59 PM CST
By Megan Lebowitz and Alexandra Marquez
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden awarded the nation’s highest civilian honor to more than a dozen politicians, philanthropists and cultural icons during a ceremony at the White House Saturday.
Nineteen individuals received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, including former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and billionaire donor George Soros. Four people were honored posthumously.
In a speech at the ceremony, Biden called the award recipients, "a collection of people, with different backgrounds and beliefs and talents, different generations and different agendas, using their remarkable gifts and unwavering passion to strengthen our resolve as one nation under god indivisible, liberty and justice for all."
He addressed the group, telling them, "you answered the call to serve and led others to do the same thing, and you defend the values of America even when they’re under attack, because they have been."
The medal is “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,” the White House said in a news release ahead of the ceremony.
“These nineteen Americans are great leaders who have made America a better place,” the statement added. “They are great leaders because they are good people who have made extraordinary contributions to their country and the world.”
Clinton received the award about two weeks before her former political rival, President-elect Donald Trump, will be sworn in for a second term. In 2016, Clinton became the first woman nominated by a major party for president before losing to Trump.
Soros, who founded the Open Society Foundations, has contributed more than $32 billion to his organization, which supports a variety of human rights and pro-democracy causes, according to his website. He is also a major Democratic donor.
Other recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Saturday included humanitarian and chef José Andrés, whose World Central Kitchen has helped provide food for civilians in war zones and areas hit by natural disasters; Jane Goodall, a highly acclaimed conservationist and scientist; and Bill Nye, a science educator who rose to fame with the show “Bill Nye the Science Guy.”
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