On Friday, President Biden presented the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian distinction, to 19 winners, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, former Vice President Al Gore, and Olympic swimmer Katie Ledecky.
Mr. Biden gave a brief introduction to each honoree, applauding their “relentless curiosity, inventiveness, ingenuity, and hope.”
Related posts
This Article Includes
In response to criticism of his own age as he stands for a second term at age 81, Mr. Biden complimented the 27-year-old Ledecky, possibly the best female swimmer of all time, as she trains for the Paris Olympics this summer.
“Don’t let your age get in the way,” Mr. Biden advised. “Katie, age is just a number, kid.”
Mr. Biden also used the occasion to make barely veiled comments about the threat that former President Donald Trump poses to democracy. They are the Democratic and Republican presumptive presidential nominees for 2024, respectively.
The president recalled Gore’s concession to George W. Bush in the 2000 presidential election, following weeks of legal fights over the Florida vote recount. When Joe Biden emerged as the 2020 presidential election winner, Trump refused to concede and instead praised the rioters who invaded the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021, in protest of the election results.
“After winning the popular vote, he accepted the outcome of a disputed presidential election for the sake of unity and trust in our institutions,” Biden said of the former vice president. “That was amazing what you did to me, Al—II won’t go into that.”
He referred to Pelosi as the “greatest speaker of the House of Representatives” and said that she “used her superpowers to pass some of the most significant laws in our nation’s history.”
“On January 6, Nancy stood in the breach and defended democracy with her husband, Paul,” the president went on to say. “They stood up to extremism with absolute courage, physical courage.”
A man with a hammer struck Pelosi’s spouse after breaking into their San Francisco home while the then-Speaker was away.
This is Mr. Biden’s second Presidential Medal of Freedom. The most recent batch of honorees includes both living and deceased individuals.
The full list of 2024 Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients:
Michael Bloomberg is an entrepreneur, philanthropist, and three-term mayor of New York City.
Father Gregory J. Boyle is a Jesuit Catholic priest who founded and directs Homeboy Industries, a gang rehabilitation and reentry program.
Rep. Jim Clyburn, a Democrat from South Carolina, has spent three decades in the House. He formerly served as the House Majority Whip and Assistant Democratic Leader.
Elizabeth Dole was a North Carolina senator from 2003 to 2009. She also served as Transportation Secretary under President Ronald Reagan, Labor Secretary under President George H.W. Bush, and President of the American Red Cross.
Phil Donahue was a journalist who pioneered the daytime issue-based talk program.
We are honoring Medgar Wiley Evers posthumously. Following his service in World War II, he led the struggle against segregation in Mississippi. In 1963, at the age of 37, he met his demise.
Al Gore. In the 2000 presidential election, the former vice president received the most popular votes, but after a weeks-long recount struggle in Florida, he conceded to George W. Bush. His efforts on climate change earned him the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007.
Clarence B. Jones was a well-known civil rights activist and lawyer who helped compose Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech.
John Kerry served as President Barack Obama’s Secretary of State and Special Presidential Envoy for Climate under Vice President Joe Biden. He received a silver star and a bronze star for his actions during battle in the Vietnam War.
We are honoring Frank R. Lautenberg posthumously. We remember the five-term senator from New Jersey for his contributions to environmental preservation and consumer safety.
Katie Ledecky is the most decorated female swimmer in history, having won seven Olympic gold medals and 21 world championship gold medals combined.
Opal Lee, an educator and activist, worked to make Juneteenth a national holiday.
Ellen Ochoa is the first Hispanic woman in space and the second female head of NASA’s Johnson Space Center. She has flown into space four times.
In 2007, Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California made history by becoming the first woman to hold the position of Speaker of the House. In 2019, she once again made history by winning re-election to the position.
Jane Rigby is the chief scientist for the James Webb Space Telescope, the most powerful telescope ever built.
Teresa Romero, president of the United Farm Workers, is the first Latina to lead a national union in the United States.
Judy Shepard co-founded the Matthew Shepard Foundation in memory of her brutally killed gay son.
We are honoring James Francis Thorpe posthumously. He became the first Native American to win an Olympic gold medal.
Michelle Yeoh. Last year, the actress received the Academy Award for Best Actress for her work in “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” becoming the first Asian to do so.
