President Joe Biden presented the Medal of Freedom – the nation’s highest honor – to 17 people Thursday, including actor Denzel Washington, gymnast Simone Biles and former congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. The president also presented the award posthumously to Sen. John McCain, Apple founder Steve Jobs and Richard Trumka, who was president of the AFL-CIO. Other recipients include Fred Gray, a prominent attorney who represented Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, and Sandra Lindsay, a New York critical care nurse, was the first American to receive a COVID-19 vaccine outside clinical trials. The Presidential Medal of Freedom, which was established under former President John F. Kennedy, is one of the highest awards a civilian can receive. The award is presented “to individuals who have made exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values, or security of the United States, world peace, or other significant societal, public or private endeavors,” according to the White House. "This is America," Biden said, pointing to the recipients seated behind him on the stage. 📸: Saul Loeb and Alex Wong for @gettyimages, J. Scott Applewhite for @apnews