The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest honor that a civilian can earn in the United States. Based on who President Joe Biden just handed the award out to, you wouldn’t be able to tell.
In a ceremony on Thursday, Biden bestowed the award upon professional women’s soccer player Megan Rapinoe. A narrator for the awards called her “a champion protecting the rights of fellow LGBTQI+ Americans.”
Joe Biden presents the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Megan Rapinoe. pic.twitter.com/J3ezVBrqWy
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) July 7, 2022
While Rapinoe has seen massive success on the U.S. Women’s National Team, she is hardly known for her love of the country. In fact, she has publicly demonstrated her vehement disdain for the U.S. multiple times.
Rapinoe was a leader in the movement to disrespect the country by kneeling during the National Anthem, USA Today reported. She first pulled the stunt on Sept. 4, 2016, during a game with her professional team, the Seattle Reign.
On Sept. 15, 2016, she knelt during a U.S. women’s national match while wearing the nation’s colors on her chest.
Megan Rapinoe is not in the starting XI tonight, but does indeed still kneel on the ground. pic.twitter.com/8ad7FuULRQ
— Andrew Jerell Jones, Luke 1:37 (IG:twdbk3) (@sluggahjells) September 16, 2016
In a Nov. 9, 2020, appearance on NPR’s “Fresh Air” podcast, Rapinoe criticized a statement from U.S. Soccer saying players should stand for the anthem because “representing your country is a privilege and honor for any player or coach that is associated with U.S. Soccer’s national team.”
Did Rapinoe deserve the Presidential Medal of Freedom?
“I couldn’t believe it,” Rapinoe said of the statement. “I think I was truly sort of dumbstruck. It really upset me. The nerve and the audacity to say what they did in that statement — it is an honor and a privilege that we all have in this country?
“I don’t think so. I don’t think we do all have that in this country. So it missed the entire point, clearly.”
She later made the false claim that America was “founded not on freedom and liberty and justice for all” but instead on “chattel slavery.” In spite of her obvious hatred for America, this is the woman Biden chose to honor with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
According to ESPN, Biden also gave the award to Simone Biles, the Olympic gymnast who infamously quit on her country in the middle of the Tokyo Olympics.
These recipients are stark contrasts to the Americans who received the award from former President Donald Trump.
While Trump did give the award to multiple athletes, he chose people who proudly represented America in international competitions. They included golfer Tiger Woods, as well as Olympic champion runner Jim Ryun, according to the White House archives.
Trump posthumously bestowed the honor upon George Herman “Babe” Ruth Jr., an American baseball icon who led the New York Yankees to four World Series titles. He also gave the medal to NBA legend Bob Cousy, who was an advocate for minority athletes.
In an opinion article for the left-leaning NBC News, reporter Gary Waleik said Cousy deserved the award for his “stellar record as a player and human being.”
“He helped form the NBA Players Association union so his fellow players could make a better living,” Waleik wrote. “He spoke out against racism and befriended African American teammates who played in a city that was often hostile to them.”
Amazingly, Cousy fought racism in America without denigrating the country itself or spouting off lies about “systemic racism.” What a novel concept.
The Presidential Medal of Freedom is supposed to be awarded to people who made outstanding contributions to the country. By giving it to someone who outwardly hates America, Biden has given us a window into his views about our country.
