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\"PHOTO:
Alex Wong/Getty Images
PHOTO: President Joe Biden presents the Presidential Medal of Freedom to gun control advocate and former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House, July 7, 2022, in Washington, D.C.
>

Apple co-founder Steve Jobs and former Sen. John McCain were given the honor posthumously, as was former AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka.

Biden and McCain became friends during their time in the Senate. McCain, a Purple Heart recipient and prisoner of war in Vietnam, served Arizona in Congress for decades before succumbing to glioblastoma in 2018.

\"We agreed on a lot more than we disagreed on,\" Biden reminisced on Thursday.

\"I never stopped admiring John,\" Biden continued. \"I never said a negative thing about him in my life because I knew his honor, his courage and his commitment. That was John McCain.\"

Cindy McCain was on stage to accept the award on behalf of her late husband.

\"PHOTO:
Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images
PHOTO: US President Joe Biden presents Cindy McCain, the widow of former Senator and presidential candidate John McCain, posthumously with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, during a ceremony at the White House in Washington, D.C., July 7, 2022.
>

Laurene Powell-Jobs accepted her late husband's award and Richard Trumka Jr. accepted the award on behalf of his father.

Not in attendance was Washington, one of the 17 recipients. A White House official said Washington was unable to partake in the ceremony because of a COVID-19 result.

Biden hailed Washington as \"one of the greatest actors in American history\" and said he will give him the award at a later date.

The White House said approximately 250 were in attendance at the ceremony, which was held in the East Room of the White House. Vice President Kamala Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff were there, as well as several members of the president's cabinet.

Spotted at the ceremony were Hunter Biden and his wife Melissa Cohen. Several members of Congress were also in the room, including Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., and Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del.

Biden is the first president to give out these medals after receiving one himself in 2017, while he was serving as vice president. Former President Barack Obama awarded Biden for his \"lifetime of service that will endure through the generations.\"

\"This is America,\" Biden said as the ceremony concluded.

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