Hillary Clinton, Bono and more awarded Biden Presidential Medal of Freedom
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Former secretary of state Hillary Clinton is awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Biden in the East Room of the White House on Jan. 4, 2025 in Washington, D.C. Photo: Tom Brenner/Getty Images
President Biden named former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, actor Denzel Washington, billionaire George Soros and Bono, lead singer of the rock band U2, among 19 recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Saturday.
Why it matters: The award is the nation's highest civilian honor.
What they're saying: President Biden thanked the awardees at a White House ceremony on Saturday and said they embody the nation's creed "e pluribus unum, out of many one."
- "As cultural icons [...] dignified statesmen, humanitarians, rock stars, sports stars, you feed the hungry," he said.
- "You give hope to those who are hurting, and you craft the signs and sounds of our movements and our memories."
Zoom in: This year's recipients posthumously include activist Fannie Lou Hamer, whose work fighting racial injustice of the Jim Crow era helped pave the way for the 1965 Voting Rights Act.
Other awardees include: Basketball legend Earvin "Magic" Johnson, conservationist Jane Goodall, designer Ralph Lauren, chef José Andrés, actor Michael J. Fox and entrepreneur Tim Gill.
Also on the recipient list, are Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, soccer player Lionel Messi, Bill Nye of the popular 90s TV show "Bill Nye the Science Guy," writer George Stevens, Jr. and David Rubenstein, co-chairman of The Carlyle Group.
Biden posthumously awarded the honor to the 25th secretary of defense Ashton Baldwin Carter, former attorney general Robert Francis Kennedy and businessman George Romney.
Editor's note: This story has been updated with the president's remarks.
