President Biden bestowed the nation’s highest civilian honor upon nineteen distinguished individuals.
President Joe Biden presented the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States’ most prestigious civilian award, to nineteen recipients. Among them were former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and prominent philanthropist George Soros.
The White House hosted the award ceremony on Saturday. This esteemed honor is conferred upon those 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.
Mr. Soros was recognized for his commitment to “strengthening democracy, human rights, education, and social justice” through his Open Society Foundations, and their numerous “partners and projects in more than 120 countries.” The 94-year-old did not attend the ceremony; his son, Alex Soros, accepted the award on his behalf.
President Biden lauded Secretary Clinton, describing her as a woman who has “made history repeatedly over decades of public service,” notably becoming “the first First Lady elected to the United States Senate.”
“Following her tenure as Secretary of State, she became the first woman nominated for president by a major United States political party,” the White House noted.
Additional recipients of this year’s Presidential Medal of Freedom include U2’s Bono, fashion designer Ralph Lauren, Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, basketball legend Earvin ‘Magic’ Johnson, actors Michael J. Fox and Denzel Washington, and soccer superstar Lionel Messi.