Medal of Freedom recipients include several celebrity Trump opponents

President Obama’s final Medal of Freedom ceremony at the White House Tuesday included celebrities, from Robert DeNiro to Ellen DeGeneres to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who probably wouldn’t be receiving or accepting invitations next year when President Donald Trump hosts the event.

Bestowing the awards — billed as the nation’s highest civilian honor — on luminaries from the arts, sports, entertainment, philanthropy, education and science, an emotional Mr. Obama commented on the diversity of the winners and said, “This is what makes us the greatest nation on earth.”

The president said every honoree, from basketball legend Michael Jordan to Oscar-nominated actress Cicely Tyson, had touched him in a personal way. There was also a decidedly progressive tilt to the group, with very few obvious fans of the president-elect among the 21 honorees.

Mr. DeNiro said of Mr. Trump last month, “I’d like to punch him in the face.”

The star of mobster film classics such as Goodfellas and Casino called Mr. Trump “an idiot” and “an embarrassment to this country.”

Mr. Obama said of Mr. DeNiro, “His true gift is the sensitivity he brings to each role.”

Mr. Abdul-Jabbar, a dominating star in college and pro basketball, endorsed Hillary Clinton in the 2016 race, criticized Mr. Trump’s “xenophobic, paranoid nativist rhetoric,” and called the Republican “a home-grown bully who seems afraid of everything that isn’t part of his entitled life.”

Praising his passion for “social justice,” Mr. Obama said of Mr. Abdul-Jabbar, “He stood up for his Muslim faith when it wasn’t easy.”

Mr. Abdul-Jabbar said receiving the award from Mr. Obama “makes it that much sweeter.”

“This acknowledgment invigorates me to continue the battle until everyone shares the great bounty of opportunity that this country has to offer,” he said on his website. “I’m hoping it will inspire others to do the same.”

Talk-show host Ms. DeGeneres, another fervent Hillary Clinton supporter, listened sympathetically to Mrs. Clinton on her show in October as the Democratic nominee described how Mr. Trump “stalked” her on the stage of the second presidential debate and how he lied repeatedly during the campaign.

“It’s like debating a teenager,” Ms. DeGeneres said at the time. “It is the most important election that we have ever had.”

The president said of Ms. DeGeneres, who came out as lesbian about 20 years ago, that she had “pushed our country in the direction of justice.”

Rock legend Bruce Springsteen, another honoree, sang at a huge campaign rally for Mrs. Clinton in Philadelphia on the eve of the election, with Mr. Obama and first lady Michelle Obama also attending.

“The choice tomorrow couldn’t be any clearer,” Mr. Springsteen told the crowd that night. “Hillary’s candidacy is based on intelligence, experience, preparation and an actual vision of America where everyone counts.”

Actor Tom Hanks called Mr. Trump a “self-involved gas bag” and said Mrs. Clinton was “wildly qualified” to be president.

Actor Robert Redford created a stir in 2015 by saying he was “glad” Mr. Trump was running for president to “shake things up.” But a spokesman for Mr. Redford later made clear that the actor wasn’t endorsing Mr. Trump.

Mr. Hanks, Mr. DeNiro, recording artist Diana Ross and some of the other medal recipients are among the entertainment industry elites who contributed cash heavily to Mrs. Clinton’s campaign. Overall, the entertainment industry gave more than $22 million to Mrs. Clinton, and less than $300,000 to Mr. Trump, according to election records through Oct. 19.

The Medal of Honor winners Tuesday included several lesser-known Americans, including the late Native American leader Elouise Cobell; Miami Dade College President and Cuban immigrant Eduardo Padron; physicist Richard Garwin; former Federal Communications Committee Chairman Newton Minow; math professor Grace Hopper; and NASA computer scientist Margaret H. Hamilton.

Including Tuesday’s awards, Mr. Obama has bestowed more Medals of Freedom — 114 — than any other president. Presidents Reagan and Bill Clinton each awarded 86 medals; President George W. Bush gave out 81 medals.