President Joe Biden presented the Presidential Medal of Freedom to 19 recipients including former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and billionaire philanthropist and Democratic Party donor George Soros at the White House on Saturday.
President-elect Donald Trump‘s MAGA loyalists, including Elon Musk and Vice President-elect JD Vance, are taking shots at Biden’s choices to receive the nation’s highest civilian honor. (The billionaire donor Musk called the selection of billionaire donor Soros a “travesty.”)
Note: The Presidential Media of Freedom is given 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.”
Note: The other 17 recipients of the President’s Medal of Freedom this year include Vogue editor Anna Wintour, Hollywood movie stars Michael J. Fox and Denzel Washington, NBA legend Magic Johnson, Bill Nye (the Science Guy), soccer legend Lionel Messi, and fashion designer Ralph Lauren, among others.
Magic Johnson is awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Biden.
I love how he squats down so President Biden can put the medal around his neck.
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/9uxFuPWGd9
— Art Candee 🍿🥤 (@ArtCandee) January 4, 2025
Vance reacted to the awards ceremony on X by writing: “Looking forward to Biden giving the Presidential Medal of Freedom (posthumously) to Pol Pot and Count Dracula.”
(Biden’s honorees included posthumous recipients George Romney, Ash Carter, Robert F. Kennedy and Fannie Lou Hamer.)
Note: Communist dictator Pol Pot was widely denounced internationally for his role in the Cambodian genocide, in which an estimated 2 million people died.
Looking forward to Biden giving the Presidential Medal of Freedom (posthumously) to Pol Pot and Count Dracula.
— JD Vance (@JDVance) January 4, 2025
While Vance has supporters who approve of his rhetoric, many were offended by his Pol Pot joke. As one replied to Vance: “Your tweet is not just satirical; it’s a gross misrepresentation of the Presidential Medal of Freedom’s purpose. By suggesting such an award for figures like Pol Pot—a real-life tyrant responsible for genocide—and Count Dracula, a fictional character, you’re not only engaging in poor taste humor but also disrespecting the memory of those who have truly earned this honor through their sacrifices and contributions. This kind of commentary diminishes the gravity of national recognition and the serious work of governance. Political humor should challenge, not belittle or trivialize.”
STFU Vance. pic.twitter.com/4IrymyxEIS
— Molly Ploofkins™ (@Mollyploofkins) January 4, 2025
Others are voicing their disapproval of Vance’s sarcasm with a more aggressive tone and a reminder that Trump also presented the Medal of Freedom to a billionaire donor — Miriam Adelson (widow of casino magnate Sheldon Adelson) — and to conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh, who claimed in the 1990s that Michael J. Fox was “exaggerating” the effects of Parkinson’s Disease. On-air, Limbaugh mimicked Fox’s uncontrollable movements due to the disease and said, “it’s clearly an act.”
I hope Rush Limbaugh is looking up from Hell to see President Biden giving Michael J. Fox the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
pic.twitter.com/cPxNfbh5hQ— Evan (@daviddunn177) January 4, 2025
