U.S. President Donald Trump will award the 2018 Presidential Medal of Freedom to Elvis Presley, George Herman ‘Babe’ Ruth, Jr. and five other individuals, the White House said in a statement on Saturday.
The medal is the highest civilian honor in the United States and is given annually to people who have made outstanding contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.
In addition to Ruth and Presley, Republican Senator Orrin Hatch, the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, Miriam and Sheldon Adelson, former professional football player Roger Staubach and former Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Alan Page.
Elvis Presley and Babe Ruth were tapped to receive a posthumous Medal of Freedom, the Whte House released in a statement on Saturday
Justice Antonin Scalia was also selected to receive a posthumous medal for ‘insisting that the role of federal judges is to uphold the original meaning of the Constitution — never to impose their own beliefs on the country’
Miriam Adelson is married to billionaire Sheldon Adelson. According to the White House, the physician was chosen for founding research centers dedicated to substance abuse. The two have also established the Adelson Medical Research Foundation for life-threatening illness. They’ve also help support Jewish schools, Holocaust memorial organizations and Israeli military personnel.
The couple were one of the largest contributors to the GOP’s efforts for the midterm election. They donated a staggering $112million to super PACs through September, CNN reports.
The White House praised the work of Hatch, who has four decades of legislative work during his time as Utah senator.
The White House chose Miriam and Sheldon Adelson because of their support of Jewish schools, Holocaust memorial organizations and Israeli military personnel. They were one of the largest contributors to the GOP’s efforts for the midterm election, donating a staggering $112million to super PACs
Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach and former Minnesota Viking Alan Page will also receive medals
Republican Orrin Hatch was selected to receive a medal for his over four decades of work as a Utah Senator
Scalia was chosen for his ‘insisting that the role of federal judges is to uphold the original meaning of the Constitution — never to impose their own beliefs on the country.’
Presley was selected for his two years of Army Service. The White House also said that it relished in how Presley ‘fused gospel, country, and rhythm and blues to create a sound all his own, selling more than a billion records.’
The Great Bambino set baseball records that lasted for decades, making him the obvious choice for the White House. They also cited the work Babe Ruth did through his foundation, named after the athlete, which helped underprivileged youth.
The medal is the highest civilian honor in the United States and is given annually to people who have made outstanding contributions to society
Trump has yet to present a Presidential Medal of Freedom but he has awarded the Medal of Honor as recently as October
‘His legacy has never been eclipsed, and he remains the personification of ‘America’s Pastime,’ the White House added.
Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach was tapped for volunteering to fight in the Vietnam War and the work he has done as a businessman. The Hall of Famer was also praised for his charitable work with the United Way.
Defensive tackle Alan Page was the other professional football player tapped for the Medal of Freedom. The former Minnesota Viking then embarked on a legal career where he became the first African American to serve on the Supreme Court in Minnesota.
Trump has yet to present a Presidential Medal of Freedom. He did give out the Medal of Honor, the U.S. highest military honor, as recently as October.