US President Donald Trump looks after he presented, on August 22, 2019, the presidential medal of freedom of Celtics basketball legend Bob Cousy in the oval office of the White House in Washington, DC.
Mandel Ngan | AFP | Getty Images
Less than a day after his supporters revolted inside the US Capitol, President Donald Trump was scheduled to award the presidential medal of freedom to three professional golfers, a White House official told CNBC on Thursday.
The medals will be awarded to Annika Sorenstam and Gary Player, who are retired, and Babe Didrikson Zaharias, who died in 1956 and will receive a posthumous medal.
Trump, who in his last public appearance on Wednesday called on Vice President Mike Pence to reject the election results, will award the medals in a closed-door ceremony, the official confirmed.
These remarks addressed to supporters at a rally in front of the White House came just before a joint session of Congress convened to confirm the victory of President-elect Joe Biden. Pence, who chaired the event, rejected Trump’s demands to reject legally cast election votes.
Trump supporters have beaten the Chapter, breaking through law enforcement officers and invading Congress halls. The riots forced the process to stop, along with blockages and evacuations. The National Guard was activated to respond to the attack. At least four people died and many injuries were reported.
Congress convened that evening, finally confirming Biden’s victory after 3 a.m. Thursday.
The President’s Medal of Freedom is the nation’s highest civilian honor. Recognizes individuals who have made “a well-deserved contribution to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, culture, or other significant public or private efforts.”
The three recipients will join Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Charlie Sifford and Tiger Woods on Thursday as the only golfers to receive the award, according to NBC’s Golf Channel, which first reported on Thursday’s awards ceremony.
Trump is an avid golfer, and his business, the Trump Organization, owns numerous resorts for golf clubs. The president has visited these clubs hundreds of times during his tenure.
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