Although he was not listed on his public schedule released by the White House, Trump on Monday will award the Medal of Freedom to Nunes, the Republican on the House Intelligence Committee who is a close political ally of Trump and who worked on close collaboration with to undermine the Department of Justice’s investigation in Russia.
Trump is also considering awarding the Freedom Medal to Bobby Bowden, the retired football coach at Florida State University.
Those are just three names out of a series of others who put their names on the list or asked allies to do it on their behalf, according to several White House officials. Trump often uses the Freedom Medal to reward his allies, be they financial, political or just old friends. And now he seems prepared to do it again before leaving office, although he has not yet publicly acknowledged his defeat in the election for President-elect Joe Biden.
Several people close to Trump have noted that, as his time in office comes to an end, one of the things he is likely to miss most is not the job of the presidency, but the pitfalls that come with it: the carrying, Marine trips One, tours of the Lincoln Room offered to dinner guests, a constant press team at their side – but also Medal of Liberty ceremonies. Trump always delights in them and has done so for several friends, political donors and athletes for the past four years.
This is a last-minute story and will be updated.