On November 16, 2018, Elvis Presley was honored along with six other distinguished individuals with the Presidential Medal of Freedom by the President of the United States.

This prestigious award is the Nation’s highest civilian honor, which may be awarded by the President to individuals who have made especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors, said the official White House press release.

Jack Soden, President and CEO of Elvis Presley Enterprises, accepted the award on behalf of The King of Rock and Roll. During President Trump’s introductory remarks, he played a 30 second clip of Presley singing “How Great Thou Art.”

(Click photo below to watch video)

Trump also revealed that he had seen Presley perform once in Las Vegas at the Hilton. He described that the audience went crazy for Elvis so much so that they had to say “Elvis has left the house.” Surprisingly, Trump mistakenly got the legendary statement of “Elvis has left the building” wrong even though he was using a teleprompter.

The official presentation of the medal was then preceded by a military officer reading the following statement:

ELVIS AARON PRESLEY. ELVIS PRESLEY DEFINED AMERICAN CULTURE TO BILLIONS OF ADORING FANS AROUND THE WORLD. THE KING OF ROCK ‘N ROLL, ELVIS FUSED GOSPEL, COUNTRY, AND RHYTHM AND BLUES TO CREATE A SOUND ALL HIS OWN, SELLING MORE THAN A BILLION RECORDS. ELVIS ALSO SERVED NEARLY TWO YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES ARMY, HUMBLY ACCEPTING THE CALL TO SERVE, DESPITE HIS FAME. HE STARRED IN 31 FILMS, DREW RECORD BREAKING AUDIENCES TO HIS SHOWS, SENT TELEVISION RATINGS SOARING, AND EARNED 14 GRAMMY AWARD NOMINATIONS. HE ULTIMATELY WON THREE GRAMMY AWARDS FOR HIS GOSPEL MUSIC. DECADES AFTER HIS PASSING, ELVIS PRESLEY REMAINS AN ENDURING AND BELOVED AMERICAN ICON. THE UNITED STATES IS PROUD TO HONOR THIS AMERICAN LEGEND.

(Click photo below to watch video)

None of Presley’s family attended the White House ceremony.

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