Hillary Clinton, George Soros and 17 others to be honored with Presidential Medal of Freedom at White House ceremony
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden will award the nation’s highest civilian honor to more than a dozen politicians, philanthropists and cultural icons, the White House announced Saturday.
The list of 19 Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients includes former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and billionaire donor George Soros. The recipients are scheduled to receive the awards at a White House ceremony Saturday. Four people are being honored posthumously.
The medal is “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,” the White House said in a news release.
“These nineteen Americans are great leaders who have made America a better place,” the statement added. “They are great leaders because they are good people who have made extraordinary contributions to their country and the world.”
Clinton is set to receive the award about two weeks before her former political rival, President-elect Donald Trump, is sworn in for a second term. In 2016, Clinton became the first woman nominated by a major party for president before losing to Trump.
Soros, who founded the Open Society Foundations, has contributed more than $32 billion to his organization, which supports a variety of human rights and pro-democracy causes, according to his website. He is also a major Democratic donor.
Other recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Saturday include humanitarian and chef José Andrés, whose World Central Kitchen has helped provide food for civilians in war zones and areas hit by natural disasters; Jane Goodall, a highly acclaimed conservationist and scientist; and Bill Nye, a science educator who rose to fame with the show “Bill Nye the Science Guy.”
Several entertainment, sports and cultural icons will also be honored, including U2 singer Bono, actors Michael J. Fox and Denzel Washington, athletes Lionel Messi and Earvin “Magic” Johnson, and fashion icons Anna Wintour and Ralph Lauren.
Biden will honor multiple recipients posthumously, including Robert F. Kennedy, who was assassinated in 1968 during a presidential run. Kennedy was a senator representing New York and had served as attorney general during the administration of his brother, President John F. Kennedy.
Also being honored posthumously is Ashton Carter, who was secretary of defense during the Obama administration and oversaw the United States’ push against the Islamic State, and George Romney, the governor of Michigan during the 1960s and the father of former Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah.
Biden himself received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2017 during the final days of the Obama administration. Then-President Barack Obama surprised Biden with the award, which was presented “with distinction,” an added honor.
Biden has awarded the medal to dozens of others during his four years in office. The ceremonies usually take place about once a year, though Biden also awarded former Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards with the medal in November.
Earlier this week, Biden awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal to 20 recipients, including Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., and former Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo. Thompson and Cheney served on the House Jan. 6 committee and have faced Trump’s ire. The Presidential Citizens Medal is the second-highest civilian honor, behind the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Hillary Clinton, George Soros and Denzel Washington will receive the highest US civilian honor
WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Democratic philanthropist George Soros and actor-director Denzel Washington will be awarded the nation’s highest civilian honor on Saturday in a White House ceremony.
President Joe Biden will bestow the Presidential Medal of Freedom to 19 of the most famous names in politics, sports, entertainment, civil rights, LGBTQ+ advocacy and science.
The White House said the recipients have made “exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values, or security of the United States, world peace, or other significant societal, public or private endeavors.”
Four medals are to be awarded posthumously. They are going to Fannie Lou Hamer, who founded the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party and laid the groundwork for the 1965 Voting Rights Act; former Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy; George W. Romney, who served as both a Michigan governor and secretary of housing and urban development; and Ash Carter, the former secretary of defense.
Kennedy is father to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for health and human services secretary. Romney is the father of former Utah Republican Sen. Mitt Romney, one of Trump’s strongest conservative critics.
Major philanthropists receiving the award include Spanish American chef José Andrés, whose World Central Kitchen charity has become one of the world’s most recognized food relief organizations, and Bono, the frontman for rock band U2 and a social justice activist.
Sports and entertainment stars being recognized include professional soccer player Lionel Messi; retired Los Angeles Lakers basketball legend and businessman Earvin “Magic” Johnson; actor Michael J. Fox, who is an outspoken advocate for Parkinson’s disease research and development; and William Sanford Nye, known to generations of students as “Bill Nye the Science Guy.”
Other awardees include conservationist Jane Goodall; longtime Vogue Magazine editor-in-chief Anna Wintour; American fashion designer Ralph Lauren; American Film Institute founder George Stevens Jr.; entrepreneur and LGBTQ+ activist Tim Gill; and David Rubenstein, co-founder of The Carlyle Group global investment firm.
Last year, Biden bestowed the Presidential Medal of Freedom on 19 people, including the late Medgar Evers, House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, Rep. James Clyburn of South Carolina and actor Michelle Yeoh.
Biden to award Presidential Medal of Freedom to Hillary Clinton, George Soros, 17 others
WASHINGTON ― President Joe Biden on Saturday named former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and billionaire political activist and philanthropist George Soros recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, part of a group of 19 people selected for the nation's highest civilian honor.
Others to be presented the Presidential Medal of Freedom by the outgoing president at a White House ceremony Saturday include U2 frontman Bono, actor Michael J. Fox, actor Denzel Washington, chef José Andrés and William Sanford Nye, better known as television's "Bill Nye the Science Guy."
From the sports world, decorated professional soccer player Lionel Messi of Argentina and retired NBA legend Earvin "Magic" Johnson will also receive the medal.
"President Biden believes great leaders keep the faith, give everyone a fair shot, and put decency above all else," the White House said in a statement. "These 19 Americans are great leaders who have made America a better place."
Four recipients are being recognized posthumously: former Defense Secretary Ash Carter, civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer; Robert F. Kennedy, the former U.S. Attorney General and U.S. senator from New York, who was assassinated while running for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1968; and George Romney, a former Republican Michigan governor and chairman of American Motors Corporation.
Kennedy, a longtime hero of Biden, was the brother of the late President John F. Kennedy and father of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for secretary of the Health and Human Services department. Romney was the father of outgoing U.S. Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah.
In choosing the 94-year-old Soros for the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Biden is honoring a major contributor to liberal and Democratic causes as well as Biden's past presidential campaigns. Soros, a Hungarian-American of Jewish descent who made billions as a hedge fund manager, is a frequent target of criticism and conspiracy theories from the political right.
Clinton, the former first lady fiercely opposed by Republicans, served as a U.S. senator from New York in addition to leading the State Department during the Obama administration. Clinton ran unsuccessfully for president against Trump in 2016.
Earlier this week, Biden awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal ‒ the country's second highest civilian award ‒ to former Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., and Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., for their role leading the House committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. They were among 20 to receive the award.
Saturday's recipients are the second group of Presidential Medal of Freedom honorees Biden has announced this year after awarding 19 others in May including former Vice President Al Gore, former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Below is the full list of Biden's latest Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients accompanied by statements for their selection provided by the White House:
Renowned chef and founder of the nonprofit World Central Kitchen
Frontman of the rock band U2 and activist against AIDS and poverty
Ashton Baldwin Carter (posthumous)
Defense secretary under President Barack Obama
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Former first lady, U.S. senator of New York, secretary of state and 2016 Democratic presidential nominee
Actor who has won five Emmy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and a Grammy Award, and an advocate for Parkinson’s disease research and development
Tim Gill
Entrepreneur and advocate for LGBTQI rights and equality
Conservationist known for work studying primates and human evolution
Fannie Lou Hamer (posthumous)
Founder of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party and civil rights activist
Retired basketball player who led the Los Angeles Lakers to five championships, entrepreneur and philanthropist working with underserved communities through his Magic Johnson Foundation"
Robert Francis Kennedy (posthumous)
Former U.S. Attorney General, U.S. senator who was assassinated while running for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1968
Fashion designer, known for starting the clothing company Ralph Lauren, and philanthropist most notably in the fight against cancer and the preservation of the Star-Spangled Banner.
Lionel Messi
Decorated professional soccer player who supports healthcare and education programs for children through the Leo Messi Foundation and serves as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador
William Sanford Nye
Known as "Bill Nye the Science Guy" on television educating children about science, works as CEO of the Planetary Society and as a vocal advocate for space exploration and environmental stewardship
George W. Romney (posthumous)
Chairman and president of American Motors Corporation, the 43rd Governor of Michigan and the 3rd Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
David M. Rubenstein
Co-founder and co-chairman of The Carlyle Group, renowned for his philanthropy and generous support for the restoration of historic landmarks and the country’s cultural institutions
George Soros
Billionaire hedge fund manager, known for philanthropic work and supporting progressive and Democratic causes
George Stevens, Jr.
Film producer, director and playwright
Denzel Washington
Actor, director, and producer who has won two Academy Awards, a Tony Award, two Golden Globes, and the 2016 Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award
Fashion icon who has led Vogue as editor-in-chief since 1988
George Soros hands reins of $25bn empire to son Alex
US billionaire philanthropist George Soros has handed over the running of his $25bn (£19.9bn) financial and charitable empire to his son Alex.
The Hungarian-born financier said his son had "earned it", in an interview with the Wall Street Journal.
Since the 1990s the family's wealth has been directed to support democracy-building in dozens of countries.
But in recent years the 92-year-old former hedge fund manager has become the focus of anti-Semitic conspiracies.
A Soros spokesperson confirmed to the BBC the details of the interview published on Sunday.
George Soros is also one of the largest donors to the US Democratic Party. Alex, a 37-year-old history graduate, is the second-youngest of his five children.
Alex is the only family member sitting on the investment committee for Soros Fund Management, the vehicle which the Wall Street Journal says is managing the $25bn for the family and the charitable foundation.
Alex took over at the Open Society Foundations (OSF) as chairman in December and is also in charge of his father's "super PAC" a US mechanism to direct funds to political parties.
While they broadly share the same political views, he told the Wall Street Journal that he is "more political" than his father and that he would campaign against Donald Trump's attempt to run for a second term as US president.
"As much as I would love to get money out of politics, as long as the other side is doing it, we will have to do it, too," Alex Soros said.
He said the Open Society Foundations would pursue the same aims it had under his father including free speech, criminal justice reform, minority and refugee rights and backing liberal politicians. But he also wants to include voting rights, abortion and gender equity initiatives while pursuing a more domestic US-focused agenda.
His father, George Soros, was born in Hungary, where as a child he lived through the horror of the Nazi occupation in 1944-45. His family concealed their Jewish identity to survive.
After the war he left Hungary for London, later moving to New York where he went on to make billions through his hedge fund activities.
He gained notoriety in the UK after making $1bn correctly betting the pound would fall in 1992.
When the Berlin wall came down, paving the way for the establishment of democratic governments in the former Soviet bloc, he established the Open Society Foundations (OSF) to support the process. The OSF now spends about $1.5bn a year backing liberal causes, educational organisations and human rights in more than 120 countries.
Some of its causes have rankled the right wing, including tackling racial bias in the US justice system.
The OSF shifted its international operations office from Budapest to Berlin in 2018 after the Hungarian government led by Viktor Orban campaigned explicitly against Mr Soros personally and against the foundation's work.
Alex Soros is a fan of hip-hop and New York Jets American football team, who is known for having a "high-flying" social life, attending celebrity parties in Cannes and the Hamptons. He has also travelled to remote parts of the Amazon and joined the board of the human rights campaign group, Global Witness.
"Our side has to be better about being more patriotic and inclusive," he told the paper. "Just because someone votes Trump doesn't mean they're lost or racist."
Biden to present Hillary Clinton, George Soros and 17 others the Presidential Medal of Freedom
President Biden will award the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, to former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, billionaire Democratic megadonor George Soros and several others at a White House ceremony on Saturday.
The White House said Clinton, Soros and the 17 other recipients of the prestigious award are “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.”
“President Biden believes great leaders keep the faith, give everyone a fair shot, and put decency above all else,” the White House said in a statement. “These nineteen Americans 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.”
Soros, 94, has been one of the most prolific fundraisers for the Democratic Party in recent history.
The Hungarian-born hedge-fund billionaire gave more than $175 million to Democrats during the 2022 midterms, according to Federal Election Commission records.
In 2024, Soros funneled another $60 million for House and Senate Democrats and other left-wing causes through his Democracy PAC, records show.
Soros, who has shifted tens of billions of dollars of his personal net worth over to his Open Society Foundations, which funds a multitude of progressive projects around the world, has also heavily invested in races to install far-left district attorneys in major American cities.
Soros-backed DAs, including Manhattan’s Alvin Bragg and Philadelphia’s Larry Krasner, have been criticized by Republicans for pursuing priorities such as criminal justice reform over prosecuting criminals.
The left-wing investor has also come under fire for funneling tens of millions of dollars to groups supporting anti-Israel protesters on college campuses.
The White House described Soros as “a philanthropist who four decades ago founded the Open Society Foundations” and “through his network of foundations … has supported organizations, and projects across the world that strengthen democracy, human rights, education, and social justice.”
Clinton, 77, will be receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom nearly 12 years after her husband, former President Bill Clinton, was bestowed the honor by former President Barack Obama.
The former first lady, secretary of state and New York senator “made history many times over decades in public service,” the White House said.
In 2016, Clinton made history when she became the first woman nominated for president by a major United States political party.
Her bid to become the nation’s first female president came up short when President-elect Donald Trump defeated her in the 2016 race.
Clinton was the subject of an FBI probe over her use of a private email server during her time in the Obama administration but was never charged with a crime.
At the conclusion of the bureau’s investigation, former FBI Director James Comey said that Clinton and her colleagues were “extremely careless in their handling of very sensitive, highly classified information” but that the FBI “did not find clear evidence that Secretary Clinton or her colleagues intended to violate laws governing the handling of classified information.”
Biden, 82, will also award medals to several Hollywood A-listers, superstar athletes and American cultural icons at Saturday’s ceremony, including:
Nonprofit financed by billionaire George Soros quietly donated $140 million to political causes in 2021
A nonprofit financed by billionaire George Soros quietly donated $140 million to advocacy organizations and ballot initiatives in 2021, plus another $60 million to like-minded charities.
Soros, who personally donated $170 million during the 2022 midterms to Democratic candidates and campaigns on top of that, spread the additional largess through the Open Society Policy Center — a 501(c)(4) nonprofit that falls under the Soros-funded Open Society Foundations network, according to a copy of its 2021 tax filing, which was obtained by CNBC and is the most recent data available. The Open Society Policy Center also doled out $138 million to advocacy groups and causes in 2020. Two of Soros' children sit on its board, the tax filings and its website show.
The donations bring Soros' contributions to political campaigns and causes since January 2020 to roughly half a billion dollars — at the least — most of it steered through dark money nonprofit groups and going largely toward political causes aligned with the Democratic Party.
Soros' nonprofit donations don't always go directly to political causes. The funds sometimes flow from one of his nonprofits, then to another, before being spent on the advertising, organizing and social media campaigns that directly reach voters.
Many of the Open Society Policy Center's 2021 donations weren't necessarily earmarked to help sway the midterm elections, according to the foundation's website. At the same time, Tom Watson, an editorial director at the Open Society Foundations, conceded in an email to CNBC that "there are definitely some OSPC grants that went to organizations working to combat voter suppression, support voter registration and expand civic participation." Those are all core Democratic principles.
The foundation network includes several affiliated 501(c)(4) groups, a type of nonprofit under the U.S. tax code that's allowed to engage in political activities, as well as more traditional 501(c)(3) charitable organizations, its website and tax filing show.
All of the nonprofits fall under Soros' Open Society Foundations network, which spans the globe. It describes itself as "the world's largest private funder of independent groups working for justice, democratic governance, and human rights," and it has dozens of offices in the U.S., Europe, Asia, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East.
It additionally runs the Open Society University Network, which includes more than two dozen colleges across the world, sponsoring research projects through its Democracy Institute, among other initiatives. While not illegal, the complex network of related nonprofits, research funding and charities financed by Soros obfuscates the original origin of the donations.
Through the network, Soros has donated more than $32 billion over the years, according to its website. It says it gives "thousands of grants every year toward building inclusive and vibrant democracies," with active projects in more than 120 countries.
"Wealthy special interests and individuals try to hide their influence in elections, including by funding politically active nonprofits, because they know that the messenger matters," Aaron McKean, an attorney at the nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center, said. "Voters have a right to know who is trying to influence elections so that they can make informed choices when filling out their ballot."
The Open Society Policy Center's budget in 2021 was funded by a single $196 million donation from the Open Society Foundation network, according to foundation officials. An affiliated 501(c)(3) charitable group called the Open Society Institute received a $1.78 billion donation in "QECL shares" from the Foundation to Promote Open Society, which was founded and is funded by the billionaire businessman.
In the U.S., the Open Society Policy Center donated to a variety of politically active groups and causes since the start of the 2020 election cycle, including $4.5 million in September to Reproductive Freedom for All, according to data from the nonpartisan watchdog OpenSecrets. The campaign backed Michigan's successful ballot initiative called Proposition 3 that enshrined abortion rights into the state's constitution.
The group also gave $1 million in 2020 toward a campaign that supported an Oklahoma prison sentencing ballot measure titled Yes on 805. The ballot initiativewould have ended repeat sentence penalties for nonviolent offenses in the state; it failed to pass during the 2020 election.
The vast majority of Soros' personal donations during the 2022 cycle went to two super PACs: Democracy PAC and Democracy PAC II, according to Federal Election Commission filings. Both of those groups are run by the billionaire's son Alexander Soros who also sits on the boards of the Open Society Institute and Open Society Policy Center. Politico reported that these PACs were meant to help Democratic candidates and groups in 2022, and in future election cycles.
Records show that the Democracy PACs, which by law can raise and spend an unlimited amount of money, donated millions of dollars in the midterms to organizations that actively helped Democrats running for office, including support for the Senate Majority PAC and the House Majority PAC.
The Open Society Policy Center's other donations listed on its 2021 990:
Emerson Morrow, a spokesman for America Votes, told CNBC that funding from the Open Society Policy Center "has provided critical support for America Votes' mission." The group says it took on "voter suppression and engaged new and hard-to-reach voters" in 2021, focusing on expanding voting access in the key states of Nevada, Michigan and Wisconsin. The Open Society Policy Center's website lists a single donation of $23.9 million to the group in 2021 to "support nonpartisan voter engagement in multiple states," according to its website.
America Votes, a 501(c)(4), raised more than $245 million and doled out over $170 million in grants from July 2020 through June 2021, according to its most recent tax disclosure. Its top contributions included a $14 million donation to Family Friendly Action PAC, a super PAC that spent $7.2 million backing Democratic candidates running for Congress during the 2022 election cycle, according to OpenSecrets. It also donated $9.7 million toward Black PAC, a super PAC that spent $9.5 million during the recent midterms supporting Democrats.
Amy Kurtz, president of the Sixteen Thirty Fund, pointed to the Open Society Foundations website for more information on its donations from the Soros-backed groups. The Sixteen Thirty Fund raised over $189 million in 2021, according to its latest 990 disclosure.
"At a time when the extreme right wing is better funded than ever and threatening our rights and democratic institutions like never before, Sixteen Thirty Fund is meeting these threats head on," Kurtz said in an email. "As a fiscal sponsor, Sixteen Thirty Fund empowers advocates and philanthropists to quickly and efficiently launch campaigns to tackle today's toughest challenges. The administrative, legal, and HR support we offer is critical so public-interest efforts can focus on working to improve the lives of all Americans."
All the other organizations mentioned in this story who received funding from the Open Society Policy Center did not return a request for comment.
Correction: The headline and two references in the story were updated to correct the year in which the donations were made. They were made in 2021.
