Donald Trump to confer Medal of Freedom on Pats coach Bill Belichick despite Capitol chaos

Donald Trump is planning to make full use of the presidential powers he has left with just 10 days left for him in the office. The 74-year-old is reportedly planning to award New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick the nation’s highest civilian honour. The decision comes in after a tumultuous last week, where Trump's supporters breached the US Capitol, in which five people died.

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Donald Trump to offer Bill Belichick Medal of Freedom days after US Capitol Breach 

According to a report by Politico, Donald Trump is planning to spend the upcoming week taking a ceremonial victory lap and do his friends a favour before being ousted as the US President. The report states that Bill Belichick will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Thursday. Trump had awarded the medal to golfers Annika Sorenstam and Gary Player one day after the horrific attacks on the Capitol last week, and will also provide the same to Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) on Monday. 

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The New England Patriots visited Donald Trump at the White House after their Super Bowl win in 2017 but skipped the ceremony in 2019. Both Belichick and Patriots owner Robert Kraft are long-time friends of Trump and while the former is extremely quiet about his political views, he wrote a letter supporting Trump during the 2016 elections. The 68-year-old most recently spoke against the Armenian genocide in November. 

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Trump has been a fan of Bill Belichick and had reappointed him to the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition. The US President also called the Patriots coach as a 'winner' and claimed that he would call him up for ideas if he had a military battle. However, it hasn't been confirmed by the Patriots or Belichick himself whether he will be attending the ceremony. The ceremony could be put off completely with the House of Representatives preparing to vote on impeaching Trump a second time as early as Tuesday.

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Bill Belichick wrapped up his 21st season with the New England Patriots, where he has compiled a 244-92 record while leading the franchise to six Super Bowl wins. The 68-year-old will be the latest sports figure to accept the Medal of Freedom from Trump, joining wrestling legend Dan Gable, college football coach Lou Holtz, NBA Hall of Famer Jerry West and golf icon Tiger Woods, among others. 

(Image Courtesy: NFL.com)