Elton John also thanked George W. Bush, who was not in attendance, for his “astonishing” work to expedite the fight against HIV and AIDS, saying: 'I just wish America could be more bipartisan on everything.”
He also thanked George W. Bush, who was not in attendance, for his “astonishing” work to expedite the fight against HIV and AIDS. He addressed the former president’s wife, saying, “President Bush accelerated the whole thing with his PEPFAR bill. We would have never gotten as far without President Bush — please tell him for me, give him a big hug. I just wish America could be more bipartisan on everything.
“The AIDS epidemic,” he mentioned earlier in the night, “has always been bipartisan in America. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve rang [United States Senator] Lindsey Graham. And to his credit, he’s always come through.” Past recipients of the National Humanities Medal, a recognition that’s given to people whose work as “deepens the nation’s understanding of the humanities, broadened our citizens’ engagement with the humanities, or helped preserve and expand Americans’ access to important resources in the humanities,” include National Public Radio host Terry Gross, chef José Andrés and Elie Wiesel.