Republican lawmakers slammed President Biden for giving the Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, to billionaire philanthropist George Soros and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. 

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. 

“Apparently, all it takes to receive the highest civilian honor from President Biden is to donate millions to him and his family,” Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) said in a Saturday post on X. “January 20 can’t come soon enough.”

Soros, a Hungarian-American who is of Jewish descent, has frequently been criticized by those on the political right. 

“Joe Biden gave the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Hillary Clinton and George Soros instead of Daniel Penny,” Rep. Eli Crane (R-Ariz.) wrote Saturday on X. “Says all you need to know. Counting down to January 20th.” 

Clinton got a standing ovation when she was introduced at the ceremony. The New York Senator was the head of the State Department during former President Obama’s administration. She lost in the 2016 general election to President-elect Trump. 

“Joe Biden awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom—our nation’s highest civilian honor—to Hillary Clinton and George Soros,” Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.) wrote Saturday on social media platform X. “What a joke.” 

In the first quarter of 2024, Fund for Policy Reform, a non-profit founded and funded by Soros, donated $60 million to a liberal Super PAC, Democracy PAC, that backed the Democratic Party candidates during the 2024 election cycle, according to Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings. 

“Giving Soros the Medal of Freedom is outrageous but not surprising,” Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) said on Saturday. “Democratic politicians support criminals more than cops. They want violent criminals back on the streets. If you want less crime: vote Republican.”