US President Joe Biden on Friday honored 19 Americans with the nation’s highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom – a diverse list that includes some high-profile Biden political allies, celebrities, civil rights leaders and even one of his former political rivals-turned-financial backer, CNN reports.
The list included two of Biden’s core allies in the House of Representatives: former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn.
Pelosi made history in 2007 when she became the first woman to serve as speaker of the House of Representatives and led Democratic opposition to former President Donald Trump when she regained that role in 2019. She was also a key player in getting much of Biden’s signature legislation through Congress during the first two years of the president’s administration.
“On January 6,” Biden said at the ceremony on Friday, “Nancy stood in the breach and defended democracy. With her husband, Paul, they stood up to extremism with absolute courage, physical courage.”
He added: “I predict … history will remember you, Nancy, as the greatest speaker of the House of Representatives.”
Clyburn has been credited with coalescing his state’s Black vote to support Biden in the 2020 primaries. The win in South Carolina sparked Biden’s momentum toward winning the Democratic nomination and eventually the presidency. Clyburn has since served as a key ally for the president in Congress and on the campaign.
“I can say this without fear of contradiction,” Biden said Friday. “I would not be standing here as president making these awards were it not for Jim.”
The list also included former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who sought the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination that Biden would eventually clinch. Bloomberg immediately endorsed Biden after dropping out and pledged $100 million to help Biden’s election efforts in Florida.
Also honored was actress Michelle Yeoh – the first woman of Asian descent to win the Academy Award for Best Actress.
The medal is presented to people “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,” according to a White House statement. Biden himself is a recipient, being presented with the medal by then-President Barack Obama in the closing days of his administration.