In a ceremony that gave a feeling of relief to a White House struggling with polls showing that a majority of Americans believe the country is in trouble and low approval ratings for Biden, President Biden presented his Presidential Medal of Freedom.
The 17 honorees include Simone Biles (25-year-old American gymnast who became an advocate for victims and survivors of sexual assault) to Fred Gray (91-year old, whom Biden described as one of the “most significant civil rights lawyers in American history”).
Biden laughed as he spoke in the East Room of the White House. Biles was praised for her ability to “turn personal pain into something greater, to stand up for those who are unable to speak for themselves”, and he noted that she is the youngest recipient of the Medal of Freedom.
Biden also acknowledged Megan Rapinoe, soccer star, and her efforts for equal pay for women.
Megan is a champion of an American truth: everyone has the right to dignity and respect.
Medal of Freedom recipients often represent the current president. The Medal of Freedom was presented by former President Donald Trump to his closest political allies, such as Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, Rush Limbaugh, and athletes from his favorite sport, aEUR” golf.
Thursday’s honorees for Biden included Democrats and Republicans. They also featured titans from the labor and civil right movements, which have been crucial to his long political career.
The recipients included Wilma Vaught, a retired Air Force General and one of the most decorated women ever to serve in the U.S. Military. Diane Nash, who worked closely alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., organized major civil rights campaigns and was a former president of AFL-CIO, United Mine Workers.
Trumka was praised by Biden as “no one did more work than he did for American workers.”
Biden stated that “His work ethic was strong and he always tried to do the right things for workers.” “In over 30 years of friendship, his honesty, fairness, tough, and trustworthy aEUR” was the man you want in your corner.
Sister Simone Campbell, a Sister of Social Service member and ex-Executive Director of NETWORK (a Catholic social justice organisation), was also honored.
Biden spoke of Sister Campbell’s efforts in the “nuns-on-the bus” tour to “make a moral case that health insurance is a right in the country, not a privilege and the obligation to assist other people in greatest need.”
Biden stated, “She’s the embodiment a covenant of hope, trust and progress for our nation and she’s happy to be my friend.”
Biden laughed and said he wasn’t supposed to tell a specific story in his remarks. He then went on to recall a meeting he had with Pope Benedict when he was vice-president. Benedict asked Biden for advice.
“I smiled and I said, “Well, one piece advice. To laughter from the crowd, he advised that he take it easy on the nuns aEUR “they’re more popular than your are.” “The fact that he retired six weeks later is a surprise to me.
Biden also honored Gabby Giffords (D-Ariz.), who was the youngest ever elected woman to the Arizona state Senate. She went on to serve in Congress. In 2011, she was severely injured and shot in the head during a constituent event. Her husband, Arizona Democratic Senator Mark Kelly, is running for reelection in November.
Biden stated, “Gabby’s one of the most brave people I have ever met.”
Before referring to the passage of the bipartisan gun safety bill, he called Giffords’ perseverance “proof that it is possible to channel the pain and sorrow that Americans see all too often in America into a movement that will prevail”.
‘If thereaEUR ™,s any angels, theyaEUR ™re all nurses. ‘The Medal of Freedom from the Pres. was awarded to Sandra Lindsay, an intensive care nurse in New York. Sandra Lindsay, a New York-based intensive care nurse who was the first to be given the COVID-19 vaccine in the United States outside of clinical trials, is Biden. pic.twitter.com/yx0GpN77ix
Sandra Lindsay, a New York-based critical care nurse who was on the frontlines in the COVID-19 pandemic response, was also honored. She was the first American to be given a COVID-19 vaccination outside of clinical trials.
Biden stated, “If there are any angels in Heaven, they’re all nurses, both male and female.”
He pointed out that Lindsay’s badge and vaccination card are part of an exhibit at Smithsonian on the coronavirus epidemic.
The late Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.), a decorated Vietnam War veteran, was awarded the posthumous award. He died in 2018 from brain cancer. McCain and Biden were both senators and served together in the Senate. They found themselves on opposing sides of 2008’s presidential race, when McCain was the Republican nominee while Biden was then-Senator Barack Obama’s running partner.
I have never stopped admiring John. Never once said anything negative about John in my life, because I was aware of his honor, courage and commitment. Biden posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to the late Republican Senator John McCain. https://t.co/ykshxwGP7P pic.twitter.com/f4swBs0uKt
Biden spoke about his personal and professional relationships with McCain, whom Biden met while serving as the Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s chairman.
Biden stated, “John and me traveled the world together.” We became friends. “We agreed on so much more than we disagreed.”
Biden recalled that “the two things we never spoke about aEUR” had never spoken about his imprisonment at the Hanoi Hilton or the deaths of my wife and daughter. “We seemed to somehow understand each other. It was a long, long time ago. Both of us wanted to do more for the country we loved, and that desire never wavered.”
Biden said: “In fact I admit to my Democratic buddies, John encouraged me to go home to run for office. For real because I knew how incredible courage, intellect, and conscience he had.”
Cindy McCain, who endorsed Biden for 2020, accepted the medal in her husband’s memory.
Biden also paid tribute to Khizr Khan who was a Gold Star father and the founder of National Unity Center and Constitution Literacy. Khan attracted national attention when he spoke at the 2016 Democratic National Convention. He challenged Donald Trump’s call for Muslims to be barred from the U.S., and offered to lend the then-GOP candidate a pocket copy of the Constitution.
Thursday’s honorees included Julieta GarcAa (first Hispanic woman to be elected president of a college), Father Alexander Karloutsos (posthumously), the former Vicar General of America’s Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America and former Sen. Alan Simpson and RaAol Yaguirre, civil rights advocate and RaAol Yozaguirre.
Denzel Washington, actor and director, was unable to attend the event in person due to his positive COVID-19 test.
Biden was presented with this medal by Obama in 2017. Obama described Biden as a “lion in American history”.
