In a final act of left-wing pandering before leaving office, President Joe Biden awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to a string of infamous progressive figures, including 2016 failed Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and billionaire leftist financier George Soros. The decision sparked widespread criticism from Republicans and conservative commentators, who called it a travesty that cheapens the nation’s highest civilian honor.

The January 2025 White House ceremony included remarks praising Soros, with President Biden calling him “a guardian of democracy and all people yearning to be free.” Soros’ Open Society Foundation released a statement celebrating the award, noting it honored his “lifelong commitment to defending freedom of expression and advancing human rights and justice.” But to conservatives, that “justice” has translated into funding radical policies that undermine American communities.

Fox News’ “Fox & Friends Weekend” panel weighed in on the decision, with Guy Benson calling it particularly egregious. “Some of the medal recipients are perfectly fine — I love Denzel Washington,” he said. “But getting particular attention and note: Hillary Clinton and George Soros.”

Rachel Campos-Duffy did not mince words. “George Soros is a villain. Let’s be very clear,” she said, highlighting the chaos Soros has sown by funding leftist prosecutors who undermine law and order in cities across America. “Just talking about the destruction that he caused by funding these D.A.s, these liberal D.A.s who were undermining law and order in these cities.”

Campos-Duffy went further, broadly condemning Biden’s medal picks as the “worst of the worst” in American politics. She joked that the award should be renamed to match the recipients: “I would say destroying freedom gets you the Freedom Award, I guess.” Even Elon Musk joined the chorus on X, calling the award a “travesty.”

Charlie Hurt added that Biden’s decision not only rewards radical leftists but diminishes the medal’s value. “The idea that you would give the award to these people, and then immediately cheapen the value of the award by giving it to people who don’t deserve it,” Hurt said. He also criticized the choice of awarding the medal to RFK Sr., suggesting it was a subtle jab at RFK Jr., while Campos-Duffy reflected on how former President Trump’s award to Rush Limbaugh “brought a tear to my eye,” contrasting the two approaches.

The move underscores the Biden administration’s commitment to elevating figures who advance a far-left agenda, even as conservatives argue they actively harm American society. Soros’ funding of soft-on-crime prosecutors, for example, has been linked to skyrocketing urban crime, while Clinton’s decades-long political influence has included support for policies that many argue weaken American institutions.

For conservatives, the medal is meant to honor Americans who strengthen, not undermine, the nation. Biden’s decision to hand it to Soros and Clinton is a stark reminder that under leftist leadership, even America’s most cherished symbols — like the Presidential Medal of Freedom — can be co-opted to reward ideological allies rather than true service to the country.

The question now is whether future administrations will restore the medal to its intended purpose: celebrating individuals who defend liberty, protect law and order, and uplift the American people.