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President Joe Biden awarded the nation’s highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, to 19 people on Saturday, recognizing a wide range of luminaries in politics, culture and the arts, including former Democratic nominee the presidential Hillary Clinton, the designer Ralph Lauren, the leader of U2. Bono and philanthropist and megadonor George Soros.
“For the last time as President, I have the honor of awarding the Medal of Freedom, our nation’s highest civilian honor, to an extraordinary group of people, truly extraordinary, who have devoted their sacred efforts to shape the culture and cause of America,” Biden said. said in brief remarks.
The medal is awarded 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,” according to a release from the White House. Biden himself is a recipient, after receiving the medal from then-President Barack Obama in the final days of his administration.
“President Biden believes that great leaders keep the faith, give everyone a fair chance, and put decency above all else,” the White House said in a statement. the declaration. “These nineteen people 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 were honored posthumously: former Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy and former Michigan Governor George Romney, the former senator’s father. Mitt Romney.
Kerry Kennedy accepted the award on behalf of her father. As Kennedy pointed to his family members in the crowd, Biden joked, “Anyone who’s not Kennedy, stand up.” Romney also accepted the honor on his father’s behalf.
In the remarks praising Robert F. Kennedy’s wife, EthelLast year, Biden said he had “only two political heroes in my life: Dr. (Martin Luther King Jr.) and Bobby Kennedy,” while noting that he decorated his Oval Office with a bust of Kennedy. The famous political family has made national headlines in recent months with the Kennedys’ second-eldest son, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., controversially chosen by President-elect Donald Trump as his choice for the next term. Secretary of the Department of Health and Social Services.
Biden has already recognized a number of political allies with this award, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn last year.
Clinton, who was accompanied by her husband, former President Bill Clinton, received a standing ovation at the ceremony Saturday.
The president’s decision to honor Hillary Clinton caps a long history of mutual admiration between the two Democratic leaders and comes after the Clintons honored Biden with the Clinton Global Citizen Award in a surprise ceremony in New York last September. Accepting the award, an emotional Biden thanked the former secretary of state “for the way you helped me, for the way you spoke on my behalf so passionately.”
“I can’t tell you, you can ask Jill, I – either way, I love you. I love you,” Biden said.
The president also recognized Soros, a liberal megadonor who, according to the White House, “has supported organizations and projects around the world that strengthen democracy, human rights, education and social justice”, and the famous editor-in-chief of Vogue, Anna Wintour, who hosted political fundraisers for the Biden campaign.
Lauren, a titan of the design industry, was also among the honorees on Saturday. Lauren’s clothes have long been favorites of the Biden family, including first lady Jill Biden, who wore a Ralph Lauren model on the cover of Vogue in Augustand his first granddaughter Naomi Biden, who wore a Ralph Lauren dress for her White House wedding in 2022.
Famed humanitarian chef and Trump critic José Andrés was recognized for his work with the World Central Kitchen, which the White House said “revolutionized the way food aid reaches communities affected by natural disasters and conflicts in the world.
On the entertainment side, actors Michael J. Fox and Denzel Washington were honored, as well as retired NBA player Earvin “Magic” Johnson. Washington was to be among those honored in 2022but he had to withdraw from the ceremony after testing positive for Covid-19.
When Biden presented Johnson with Johnson’s medal, the 6-foot-9 basketball star crouched, drawing laughter from the crowd.
One honoree who was not in attendance Saturday was soccer superstar Lionel Messi, who the White House said had “scheduling conflicts” that prevented him from attending the ceremony. Messi still received his award, the White House said.
Bono, musician and humanitarian Bono, joined Jill Biden in her dressing room last year at the State of the Union address, where he was recognized for his work fighting AIDS and mobilizing support to the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, which celebrated its 20th anniversary. birthday last year. Bono and his U2 bandmates were also among the honorees at the 2022 Kennedy Center Honors.
In science, Biden recognized Planetary Society CEO and TV host Bill Nye and world-renowned environmentalist Jane Goodall. Nye has partnered with the administration in the past to advance climate initiatives from the Biden White House.
Posthumous medals were awarded to civil rights icon Fannie Lou Hamer and former Secretary of Defense Ash Carter. LGBT advocate Tim Gill, private equity leader David Rubenstein and American Film Institute and Kennedy Center Honors founder George Stevens Jr. rounded out the list of honorees.
This article and headline have been updated with additional reporting.
CNN’s Samantha Waldenberg and Shania Shelton contributed to this report.