(Headline USA) At a ceremony Friday, President Joe Biden awarded the nation’s highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, to billionaire Michael Bloomberg—who also happened to have been the top overall donor for Democrats during the 2020 election cycle in which Biden secured the presidency.
According to OpenSecrets, Bloomberg’s total contributions in the 2020 cycle amounted to $152,509,750.
Bloomberg, who initially ran in the Democratic primary against Biden as part of a crowded field of candidates, never gave any funding directly to the future president.
However, his 136 donations included gobs of money to the Democratic National Committee and to the individual state organizations, as well as to a wide array of super-PACs with decisively anti-Trump agendas, according to data from the Federal Election Commission.
Bloomberg’s 2024 giving thus far has been more restrained, with only eight donations thus far in the cycle. Two of those went to his own super-PAC, Independence USA.
That hesitancy may explain the reason for the sudden recognition of his “exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values, or security of the United States, world peace, or other significant societal, public or private endeavors.”
Indeed, Friday’s ceremony featured a veritable a rat’s nest of corrupt Democrats who, evidently, were being put out to pasture by the 81-year-old president—at least one of whom, like Bloomberg, had a significant role in Biden’s odds-defying ascension to the presidency.
Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., bailed out the ex-vice president at a pivotal moment ahead of the 2020 South Carolina primary, which led to a brokered arrangement with several of the remaining candidates to drop out and endorse him ahead of Super Tuesday, leaving only Biden and socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who was easy to neutralize once isolated.
Other Democrat honorees at Friday’s ceremony included former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, former Vice President Al Gore and recently retired climate czar John Kerry. In addition to their tireless work jetsetting around the globe to promote green-energy spending, the latter two both share the distinction of having lost presidential races to George W. Bush.
Honorees outside of the political sphere included talk-show host Phil Donahue, Olympic swimmer Katie Ledecky and Oscar-winning best actress Michelle Yeoh.
In total, Biden awarded 19 individuals with the Medal of Freedom.
“These nineteen Americans built teams, coalitions, movements, organizations, and businesses that shaped America for the better,” the White House said in a statement.
“They are the pinnacle of leadership in their fields,” it continued. “They consistently demonstrated over their careers the power of community, hard work, and science.”
It is not unusual for presidents to award the Medal of Freedom to supporters or allies.
Biden himself received the Medal of Freedom in 2017, when former President Barack Obama gave him the award a week before their administration ended.
Former President Donald Trump gave the award to conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh and Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio.
However, none offered the promise of a direct financial benefit as Bloomberg undoubtedly does.
Headline USA’s Ben Sellers contributed to this report
