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U.S. President Donald Trump looks on after presenting the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Celtics basketball legend Bob Cousy in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC on August 22, 2019.
Mandel Ngan | AFP | Getty Images
Less than a day after his supporters rioted inside the U.S. Capitol, President Donald Trump was due 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 who will receive a medal posthumously.
Trump, who in his last public appearance on Wednesday urged Vice President Mike Pence to reject the election results, will present the medals in a closed-door ceremony, the official confirmed.
The remarks to supporters at a rally outside the White House came just before a joint session of Congress was called to confirm the victory of President-elect Joe Biden. Pence, who chaired the event, declined Trump’s demands to reject legally cast electoral votes.
Trump supporters have stormed the Capitol, breaking through law enforcement lines and invading the halls of Congress. The riots forced the proceedings to be halted, as well as lockdowns and evacuations. The National Guard was activated to respond to the attack. At least four people have died and numerous injuries have been reported.
Congress reconvened that evening, finally confirming Biden’s victory on Thursday after 3 a.m.
The President’s Medal of Freedom is the country’s highest civilian honor. It recognizes individuals who have made “a particularly meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, to cultural activities or to other important public or private enterprises.”
The three winners on Thursday will join Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Charlie Sifford and Tiger Woods as the only golfers to receive the award, according to NBC’s Golf Channel, which first announced Thursday’s awards ceremony.
Trump is an avid golfer and his company, the Trump Organization, owns a number of golf clubs. The president has visited these clubs hundreds of times during his term alone.
This is the latest news. Please come back for updates.
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