Biden gives Medal of Freedom to Simone Biles, Denzel Washington and N.Y. nurse who got first COVID vaccine
President Biden presented the Medal of Freedom medal to 17 people Thursday, including Academy Award winner Denzel Washington, Olympic gymnast Simone Biles and the late Sen. John McCain of Arizona.
Biden also bestowed the nation’s highest civilian honor on Sandra Lindsay, the New York City nurse who became the first American to receive the COVID-19 vaccine on live television in December 2020.
“The Fourth of July week reminds us what brought us together long ago: the cause of freedom shines like a sun to light up the world,” Biden said. “That’s what we see in the extraordinary group of Americans up here on this stage.”
President Joe Biden awards the nation's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, to Sandra Lindsay at the White House in Washington, Thursday, July 7, 2022. (J. Scott Applewhite/)
The list includes luminaries from Hollywood, sports, politics, the military, academia, and civil rights and social justice advocacy.
Biles is the most decorated U.S. gymnast in history, winning 32 Olympic and World Championship medals. She is an outspoken advocate for issues like athletes’ mental health, children in foster care and sexual assault victims.
“She’ll have to add to her collection of medals,” Biden quipped.
President Joe Biden awards the nation's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, to gymnast Simone Biles during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Thursday, July 7, 2022. (Susan Walsh/)
Washington is a double Oscar-winning actor, director and producer. He also has a Tony award, two Golden Globes and the Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award. He is a longtime spokesperson for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.
New Yorkers Denzel Washington, Sandra Lindsay to receive Presidential Medal of Freedom
Lindsay became an advocate for COVID-19 vaccinations after receiving the first dose in the U.S. outside of clinical trials.
“If there are any angels in heaven, they are nurses, male and female,” Biden said.
President Joe Biden posthumously awards the nation's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, to Sen. John McCain of Arizona as his wife Cindy McCain accepts the award during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Thursday, July 7, 2022. (Susan Walsh/)
McCain, who died of brain cancer in 2018, spent more than five years in captivity in Vietnam while serving in the U.S. Navy. He later represented Arizona in both houses of Congress and was the Republican presidential nominee in 2008.
The other medal recipients include former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who became a leading anti-gun violence activist after being shot by a crazed constituent and the late Apple founder Steve Jobs.
President Joe Biden awards the nation's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, to Megan Rapinoe at the White House in Washington, Thursday, July 7, 2022. (J. Scott Applewhite/)
Biden joked that his grandkids might be more likely to talk to him if they saw him with medal recipient Megan Rapinoe, the Olympic soccer gold-medalist who is a key advocate for gender pay equality.
Biden himself is a medal recipient. President Barack Obama honored Biden’s public service as a longtime U.S. senator and vice president by awarding him a Presidential Medal of Freedom in January 2017, a week before they left office.
