President Trump plans to award the Presidential Medal of Freedom next week to seven individuals that includes ally Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah; Miriam Adelson, the wife of GOP mega donor Sheldon Adelson; and posthumous honors to baseball legend Babe Ruth and Elvis Presley.
The award is the highest civilian honor that can be bestowed onto an American. The White House said in a statement on Saturday that the ceremony would take place on Nov. 16.
In addition to musical icon Elvis Presley and George Herman “Babe” Ruth Jr., Trump will honor posthumously Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia who died 2016.
Trump will also bestow the award on retiring Hatch, a key Trump ally in the Senate who is retiring and will be replaced in January by Mitt Romney after his midterm election victory.
“He has led the way in confirming qualified judges throughout the Federal judiciary in order to protect our constitutional order, and has championed religious liberty, fought against communism, and stood on the side of freedom around the world,” the White House said of Hatch, who will leave the Senate next year.
Trump will also award the medal to Miriam Adelson, the wife of major GOP donor Sheldon Adelson.
“Miriam Adelson is a committed doctor, philanthropist, and humanitarian,” the White House statement said.
Trump is also honoring former NFL quarterback Roger Staubach and former NFL defensive tackle Alan Page, who is now a member of the Minnesota Supreme Court.
