Biden to Give Presidential Medals of Freedom to Hillary Clinton, George Soros, Lionel Messi and Others

President Biden named nineteen recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom this morning.

Biden will award the medals to chef and humanitarian Jose Andrés; U2 frontman and activist Bono; former first lady, senator, and secretary of state Hillary Rodham Clinton; actor and advocate for Parkinson’s disease research Michael J. Fox; entrepreneur and LGBTQI rights advocate Tim Gill; basketball star, entrepreneur and philanthropist Magic Johnson; fashion designer Ralph Lauren; soccer star Lionel Messi; William Nye, a.k.a. “Bill Nye the Science Guy”; Carlyle Group co-founder David Rubenstein; Democratic Party and progressive cause mega-donor George Soros, who the Biden release describes as  “an investor, philanthropist, and founder of the Open Society Foundations”; writer, director, author, and playwright George Stevens, Jr.; legendary actor and director Denzel Washington, and Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour.

Four medals will be awarded posthumously: former secretary of defense Ash Carter, former governor George Romney, former attorney general Robert F. Kennedy, and Fannie Lou Hamer, who founded the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party.

The White House press release states, “the Presidential Medal of Freedom is the nation’s highest civilian honor, 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.”