Biden Awards NATO's Stoltenberg Presidential Medal of Freedom at 75th Anniversary

Jul 9, 2024, 10:16 PM

President Joe Biden awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg during the NATO Summit. The award, the highest civilian honor in the United States, was presented in recognition of Stoltenberg's ten years of service to the alliance. Biden's surprise announcement came at the conclusion of his remarks at the summit, where he praised Stoltenberg as a visionary statesman and ceaseless defender of democracy. Stoltenberg joins a distinguished group of foreign leaders who have received the medal, including Anwar Sadat, Mother Teresa, Nelson Mandela, Vaclav Havel, Desmond Tutu, and Jacques Cousteau. Biden also apologized to Stoltenberg's wife for keeping him in the job repeatedly. The event marked the 75th Anniversary of NATO.