Another group of individuals recently received the nation’s highest civilian honor, though some of those included in the White House ceremony weren’t unanimously seen as worthy of the medal. Specifically, Joe Biden’s decision to hand out a Presidential Medal of Freedom to failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and far-left billionaire George Soros sparked swift backlash on Capitol Hill. According to The Hill: In total, the outgoing commander-in-chief dished out 19 medals on Saturday. Apart from Soros and Clinton, “Vogue” editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, actor Denzel Washington, chef José Andrés, scientist Bill Nye, superstar professional soccer player Lionel Messi and NBA legend Earvin “Magic” Johnson, alongside 11 others, received the honor. “As cultural icons, defiant statements, dignified statements, humanitarians, rock stars, sports stars, you feed the hungry, you give hope to those who are hurting, and you craft the signs and sounds of our movements and our memories. You know, it’s amazing,” Biden said. But the president received backlash from GOP lawmakers in both chambers for making Soros, a long-time Democratic megadonor, and Clinton, a former presidential candidate, recipients of the medal. Many of those elected officials chose to sound off via X posts: Joe Biden awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom—our nation’s highest civilian honor—to Hillary Clinton and George Soros. What a joke. — Rep. Andrew Clyde (@Rep_Clyde) January 4, 2025 Giving Soros the Medal of Freedom is outrageous but not surprising. Democratic politicians support criminals more than cops. They want violent criminals back on the streets. If you want less crime: vote Republican. — Tom Cotton (@TomCottonAR) January 4, 2025 Apparently, all it takes to receive the highest civilian honor from President Biden is to donate millions to him and his family. January 20 can’t come soon enough. https://t.co/Gnjl0g1MqW — Rick Scott (@ScottforFlorida) January 4, 2025 Joe Biden gave the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Hillary Clinton and George Soros instead of Daniel Penny. Says all you need to know. Counting down to January 20th. — Rep. Eli Crane (@RepEliCrane) January 4, 2025 Prominent figures from other walks of life, including NFL legend Brett Favre, also weighed in, as Fox News reported: “What words would you use to describe the White House medals that were given out because I’m honestly speechless,” he wrote on X. Favre has been a staunch supporter of Donald Trump. He spoke at a rally for the president-elect in Wisconsin, ripping Biden after he appeared to call Trump supporters “garbage” in the final days before the election. He vowed that anything Democrats “broke” over the last four years Trump will “fix.” Soccer star legend Lionel Messi was one of 19 recipients for the award as well. But he skipped the ceremony due to a scheduling conflict, according to USA Today. Here’s some coverage of the ceremony: