Biden to Award Presidential Medal of Freedom Posthumously to John McCain, Steve Jobs

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President Joe Biden will posthumously award next week the United States’ highest civilian honor to former Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, announced the White House on Friday.

He will also posthumously award the Presidential Medal of Freedom to former AFL-CIO leader Richard Trumka.

Biden will also give the prestigious honor to 14 living individuals in a White House ceremony on Thursday.

They include Olympian gymnast Simone Biles, former college president Julieta García; former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ), who survived an assassination attempt in 2011; soccer superstar Megan Rapinoe; former Sen. Alan Simpson (R-WY); actor Denzel Washington; and Khizr Khan, who came to prominence in 2016 after coming under fire by former President Donald Trump for a speech he delivered at the Democratic National Convention.

“President Biden has long said that America can be defined by one word: possibilities. These seventeen Americans demonstrate the power of possibilities and embody the soul of the nation – hard work, perseverance, and faith,” said the White House in a statement. “They have overcome significant obstacles to achieve impressive accomplishments in the arts and sciences, dedicated their lives to advocating for the most vulnerable among us, and acted with bravery to drive change in their communities – and across the world – while blazing trails for generations to come.”

Biden was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2017 by then-President Barack Obama, whom he served under as vice president.

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