For over three decades, George Soros has been a leading global advocate for democratic principles and initiatives. His charitable organization, the Open Society Foundations, supports democracy and human rights in more than 100 nations.
Under Soros’s guidance, the Open Society Foundations have aided individuals and groups worldwide who strive for freedom of expression, governmental accountability, and societies that champion justice and equality. Additionally, the foundations have funded educational opportunities for numerous promising students who would otherwise be excluded due to their identity or place of residence.
This philanthropy has often targeted those facing discrimination solely based on their identity. Soros has backed groups representing Europe’s Roma population and other marginalized communities, such as drug users, sex workers, and LGBTI individuals.
Soros has personal experience with such intolerance. Born in Hungary in 1930, he endured the Nazi occupation of 1944–1945, which led to the deaths of over 500,000 Hungarian Jews. His Jewish family survived by obtaining false identity documents, hiding their background, and assisting others in doing the same. Soros later reflected that they resisted an overwhelmingly powerful evil force and managed to survive while helping others.
Following the war, as Communists solidified control in Hungary, Soros left Budapest in 1947 for London. There, he supported his studies at the London School of Economics by working part-time as a railway porter and night-club waiter. In 1956, he moved to the United States and entered the finance and investment sector, where he would amass his fortune.
In 1970, Soros established his hedge fund, Soros Fund Management, and became one of the most successful investors in U.S. history.
Throughout his philanthropic efforts, Soros has consistently focused on addressing the world’s most challenging issues. He is known for emphasizing the importance of tackling seemingly hopeless causes. Indeed, Soros acknowledges that many of the problems he addresses may never find complete solutions.
Why did the US President give him the Medal of Freedom?
In a White House ceremony on Saturday, outgoing President Joe Biden bestowed the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States, upon 19 individuals. This event, occurring approximately two weeks before President-elect Donald Trump assumed office, stirred debate, particularly regarding recipients such as Democratic politician Hillary Clinton and contentious philanthropist George Soros.
During the ceremony, Biden described the honorees as “a diverse group of individuals with varying backgrounds, convictions, abilities, generations, and objectives, who employ their exceptional talents and steadfast dedication to reinforce our unity as a nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
The decision faced criticism from Trump’s Make America Great Again (MAGA) supporters and Republican officials, who alleged that Biden was favoring his close associates in his administration’s final days. Republican leader Nikki Haley expressed her disapproval, stating, “Awarding George Soros the Presidential Medal of Freedom is yet another insult to America, following the reduction of sentences for murderers and the pardoning of his son. The sixteen days until the inauguration seem lengthy. What else might he attempt to push through? The 20th of January cannot arrive soon enough.”
What is the Medal of Freedom?
The United States’ highest civilian honor, alongside the Congressional Gold Medal, is the Presidential Medal of Freedom. This award is conferred by the president to individuals who are either recommended or personally selected by the president. It recognizes those who have made exceptional contributions to national security, global peace, or significant cultural or other public or private endeavors. While primarily a civilian award, it can also be granted to military personnel and displayed on their uniforms. The honor is not restricted to U.S. citizens. President John F. Kennedy established the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1963, replacing the Medal of Freedom, which was initially created by President Harry S. Truman in 1945 to acknowledge civilian service.
