Data News Staff Edited Report
President Joe Biden awarded 19 recipients the nation’s highest civilian honor on Jan. 4, 2025, recognizing their significant contributions across various fields.
Honorees included former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Controversial Philanthropist George Soros, Rock Star Bono, Actors Michael J. Fox and Denzel Washington, Chef José Andrés and Bill Nye the Science Guy. Sports Legends Lionel Messi and Magic Johnson were also among the recipients, though Messi was unable to attend due to scheduling conflicts.
“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 Presidential Medal of Freedom honorees were recognized posthumously: former Defense Secretary Ash Carter, Civil Rights Activist Fannie Lou Hamer, former U.S. Attorney General and Senator Robert F. Kennedy, and former Michigan Gov. George W. Romney.
The Presidential Medal of Freedom was established by Robert F. Kennedy’s brother, the late President John F. Kennedy, in 1963.
According to the White House, the award 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.”
“For the final time as President, I have the honor of restoring the Medal of Freedom, our nation’s Highest Civilian Honor, on a group of extraordinary, truly extraordinary people who gave up their sacred air … to shape the culture and the cause of America,” Biden said Saturday, ABC News reports. “So let me just say to each of you, thank you, thank you, thank you for all you’ve done to help.”
The White House noted that President Biden “believes great leaders keep the faith, give everyone a fair shot and put decency above all else.”
“These 19 individuals are great leaders who have made America and the world 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.”
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