Yahoo Finance Bill Clinton and Joe Biden Write Tributes for Zelenskyy and Other Leaders on TIME 100 List
Kevin Dietsch/Getty; Andrew Chin/Getty Joe Biden (left), Bill Clinton
President Joe Biden and former President Bill Clinton were among the big political names to write tributes to those on this year's TIME100, a list of the most influential people of the year.
Biden's tribute came in honor of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who he called "a leader worthy of [the Ukrainian peoples'] bravery and resilience."
"The nations of the free world, inspired by the example of President Zelensky, are more united, more determined, and more purposeful than at any point in recent memory," Biden, 79, wrote. "With the support of the U.S. and our allies and partners, he has left his mark on history and proved to the world that Ukraine will long endure and its people will ultimately realize the democratic future they have long desired."
Former First Lady Michelle Obama wrote her own tribute — to Oprah Winfrey, who she described as having a talent for connecting with just about anyone.
"Whether she's talking to pop stars, Presidents, schoolgirls, scholars—or she's asking you about your life over a glass of wine in the living room—Oprah has always had that uncanny ability to open us up, to hear beyond our words, and to uncover a higher truth, to be vulnerable with us in a way that allows us to be vulnerable back," the former first lady wrote.
Mrs. Obama continued: "That's her secret. But what I love most about Oprah is that she has never been content to keep it for herself."
Clinton, 75, also wrote a tribute on the list — one about Biden, who he lauded for the U.S. response to Russian aggression in Ukraine.
"On the global stage, President Biden has unified our democratic allies across Europe and around the world to isolate Russia and provide military and humanitarian assistance to the brave people of Ukraine, while restoring U.S. leadership on key issues including climate change, democracy, and human rights," Clinton wrote. "We still face stern tasks, including taming inflation without causing a recession, and combatting violent crime."
Clinton continued: "The usual sound bites and answers that dominate the news won't help. But a get-the-job-done leader who cares more about the people than the polls, more about winning the future than rewriting history, will. That's who Joe Biden is. And why I'm glad he's on the job."
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Other political names on the TIME100 list include Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, and Ketanji Brown Jackson, who was recently confirmed to the U.S. Supreme Court.
