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President Donald Trump will present the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, to Jim Ryun, an Olympic athlete and former congressman, on Friday.
The ceremony is expected to begin at 11 a.m. ET and will take place in the White House's Blue Room. Attendance is likely to be restricted to limit interactions because of the coronavirus, but those who aren't able to witness the presentation in person can do so online.
The White House has a live stream set up on its YouTube page where people can watch the ceremony in real time for free, regardless of whether they have cable.
Ahead of the event, Trump tweeted on Friday morning that the "great Jim Ryan will be honored" and issued a message of congratulations to Ryan and his family.
The Presidential Medal of Freedom is awarded to individuals who have made "especially meritorious contributions" to the security or national interests of the United States. It's also intended to honor people who played important roles in establishing world peace and have had other significant public or private endeavors.
It was officially established in 1963 under President John F. Kennedy, although its origins date back to President Harry Truman who established the "Medal of Freedom" award for people who demonstrated notable service during World War II, according to History.com. At the time, it was up to the secretaries of state, war or navy to award it, not the president.
Kennedy reintroduced the award and gave the honor of granting it to the president. He also expanded the reasons a civilian can receive the award, and that eligibility is in place today. In that first year, 31 individuals were selected as award recipients. But Kennedy was assassinated before they were presented, leaving it to his successor, President Lyndon Johnson, to carry out the honor.
Johnson also posthumously awarded it to Kennedy and 57 people of his own choosing. President Barack Obama holds the record for giving out the most awards, at 115. Trump has given the award to 16 people so far, the most recent being retired four-star general Jack Keane. Keane, a national security analyst for Fox News, received his award on March 10, about a month after radio personality Rush Limbaugh was honored during the State of the Union address.
In announcing the decision to honor Ryun, Trump said in a statement that the former congressman is one of the "most accomplished American runners in history." Trump added that Ryun "honorably served his home state of Kansas" for 10 years as a congressman.
About the writer
Jenni Fink is a senior editor at Newsweek, based in New York. She leads the National News team, reporting on ... Read more