The news comes less than a week after a mob, stirred up by Trump, broke into the U.S. Capitol building, leaving five people dead, including a Capitol police officer. Democrats are pushing for Trump to be removed from office, even as Joe Biden is scheduled to take office Jan. 20.
The medal is the nation's highest civilian honor, according to the White House. The president gives it to people who "have made exceptional contributions to the security or national interests of America, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors," the White House says on its website.