A political columnist criticized President Biden for his eventual choice of Medal of Freedom recipients, which included liberal figures like Hillary Clinton and billionaire George Soros.
Politico editor-in-chief Michael Schaffer wrote that Biden’s award choices send a strong message that Democrats are “out of touch” and argued that honor, once above politics, has now become a new political battleground.
“The Presidential Medal of Freedom award is the nation’s highest civilian honor and is awarded to individuals who have made exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values or security of the United States, world peace, or other significant civic, public or private endeavors “, the spokesperson said. White House said in a statement.
A political columnist criticized President Biden over the Medal of Freedom recipients, including liberal figures like Hillary Clinton and billionaire George Soros. (Getty Images)
Schaffer wrote that Biden’s picks, announced on Jan. 4, actually showed a group of winners who failed to defeat 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. “The Republicanism of the Romney and Cheney families lost the election because it was unpopular. (This year, Cheney’s support didn’t help the Democratic candidate either.)”
Former Senator Mitt Romney posthumously accepted a medal on behalf of his late father, George Romney, a three-term Republican governor of Michigan.
“For some Republicans — who reacted mainly against the inclusion of George Soros, the liberal cause bankroller and long-term target of conservative smear campaigns — it felt like trolling,” Schaffer wrote.
LIBERAL WASHINGTON POST COLUMNIST PREDICTS BIDEN ‘WILL HAVE NO LASTING LEGACY’
“Worse, the politics are unlikely to help Biden’s party or his legacy,” Schaffer wrote about the Presidential Medal of Freedom event. (Photo by ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP via Getty Images)
“Worse, the politics are 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 from the incoming administration.”
‘It feels a bit rude to have one outgoing president for celebrating his own favorites as the curtain falls – especially as, in this case, the winners overcome the hurdle of years spent on their fields,” Schaffer wrote. “Yet the overtly political atmosphere marks a lowering of the country’s highest civilian honor. which is intended 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 bash megadonor George Soros in particular.
“It’s a travesty that Biden is giving Soros the Medal of Freedom,” Musk said posted on X last week in response to news that the country’s highest civilian honor would be presented to Soros, whose vast financial empire has bankrolled progressive politicians’ campaigns, legislation, voting measures and initiatives.
Michael Dorgon and Andrew Mark Miller of Fox News contributed to this report.
