Biden honors Bloomberg, Gore, Pelosi, and Kerry with Medal of Freedom

Christian DatocMay 3, 2024

President ‌Joe Biden presented the Presidential Medal of Freedom ⁢to 19 distinguished individuals at the White House, including politicians, activists, actors, and athletes.‌ Notable recipients included Nancy Pelosi, ⁤Al Gore, and Michael Bloomberg. The honorees also featured pioneers like Michelle Yeoh and Ellen Ochoa. Biden praised their relentless curiosity and hope ⁢for a better future. Your‌ summary provides a concise overview of President Joe Biden awarding the Presidential Medal of⁣ Freedom to 19 notable individuals at the White House.‌ Recipients span various fields, with prominent figures like Nancy Pelosi, Al Gore, and Michael⁢ Bloomberg among them. Pioneers such as Michelle Yeoh and Ellen Ochoa were also recognized, with Biden commending their dedication to progress and ‌optimism for a brighter tomorrow.

President Joe Biden awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to 19 former and current politicians, activists, actors, and athletes Friday at the White House, a ceremony Biden referred to as one of his favorite events of the year.

Biden notably bestowed the nation’s highest civilian honor on political allies, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC), former Vice President Al Gore, and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who ran against Biden in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary.

The president posthumously honored civil rights leader Medgar Wiley Ever, multisport athlete Jim Thorpe, and former New Jersey Democratic Sen. Frank Lautenberg, whom Biden served with in the Senate.

Friday’s honorees also featured two female “firsts,” Michelle Yeoh, the first Asian woman to win the Academy Award for best actress, and Ellen Ochoa, the first Hispanic woman to travel to space.

The biden-meets-with-victims-families-in-buffalo-dubs-attack-domestic-terrorism/” title=”Biden Meets With Victims’ Families In Buffalo, Dubs Attack ‘Domestic Terrorism’”>president opened his remarks by quoting writer E.B. White, a member of the first Presidential Medal of Freedom class in 1961.

“Relentless curiosity, inventiveness, ingenuity have led to deep trouble. You can only hope that these same traits will enable us to claw our way out,” Biden recited. “Hang on to your hat, hang on to your hope, wind the clock, and tomorrow is another day.”

“Today, we have another extraordinary honor to bestow the nation’s highest civilian honor on 19 incredible people whose relentless curiosity, inventiveness, ingenuity, and hope have kept faith for a better tomorrow,” he continued.

Biden did have one slip-up while discussing the accomplishments of Olympian Katie Ledeky, stating that he was excited to host her at the White House after she competes in the Paralympics, as opposed to the 2024 Summer Olympics, which will be held in Paris.

“What I had to keep doing when I was writing these introductions was make them shorter and shorter and shorter,” the president joked in closing. “There’s so much more to say for each one of them, but we’d be here for 12 hours.”

The full list of Friday’s recipients: