Biden’s latest Medal of Freedom choice shows Democrats are ‘out of touch,’ columnist says
The Politico columnist criticized President Biden for his final selection of Medal of Freedom recipients, which included liberal figures like Hillary Clinton and billionaire George Soros.
Politico senior editor Michael Schaffer wrote that Biden’s choice of the award sends a strong signal that Democrats are “out of touch” and argued that honor, once above politics, has now become another political battleground.
“The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the nation’s highest civilian honor and is awarded to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the prosperity, values, or security of the United States, to world peace, or to other significant social, public, or private endeavors,” The white house it is stated in the press release.
A Politico columnist criticized President Biden for the Medal of Freedom winners, which included liberals like Hillary Clinton and billionaire George Soros. (Getty Images)
Schaffer wrote that Biden’s selection, released Jan. 4, actually features a cadre of honorees who failed to beat President-elect Trump during the campaign.
“For all their cultural and humanitarian achievements, Wintour and Andrés aren’t exactly selling products that ordinary Americans can afford,” Schaffer wrote. “Romney and Cheney Republicanism lost the election because it was unpopular. (This year, the Cheney endorsement didn’t help the Democratic candidate either.)”
Former Sen. Mitt Romney accepted the medal posthumously on behalf of his late father, George Romney, the three-term Republican governor of Michigan.
“To some Republicans — who particularly reacted against the inclusion of George Soros, a financier of liberal causes and a longtime target of conservative smear campaigns — it seemed like trolling,” Schaffer wrote.
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“Worse, the policy is unlikely to help Biden’s party or his legacy,” Schaffer wrote of the Presidential Medal of Freedom event. (Photo by ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP via Getty Images)
“Worse, the policy is unlikely to help Biden’s party or his legacy,” the columnist added.
He said that without Biden rising above the political fray in Washington, DC, “the laureates also feel like a last-minute political diss to the incoming administration.”
“It’s a bit cheeky to peel off the skin outgoing president to celebrate their favorites as the curtain comes down — especially since, in this case, the winners are removing the obstacle of having spent years at the top of their fields,” Schaffer wrote. “However, the open political climate marks a cheapening of the nation’s highest civilian honor, which has aim to celebrate great contributions to America.”
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Political commentators and Biden opponents used the event to attack the president, with billionaire Elon Musk emerging as one of the most prominent voices to specifically hit out at megadonor George Soros.
“Parody of Biden Giving Soros the Medal of Freedom,” Musk published on X last week in response to news that the nation’s highest civilian honor would be presented to Soros, whose vast financial empire has funded progressive politicians’ campaigns, legislation, ballot measures and initiatives.
Fox News’ Michael Dorgon and Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report.
