President Trump announced Monday that he plans to award Rudy Giuliani the Presidential Medal of Freedom, days after the former New York City mayor was seriously injured in a car accident.
“As President of the United States of America, I am pleased to announce that Rudy Giuliani, the greatest Mayor in the history of New York City, and an equally great American Patriot, will receive THE PRESIDENTIAL MEDAL OF FREEDOM, our Country’s highest civilian honor,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“Details as to time and place to follow,” the president added.
Giuliani, 81, remains hospitalized as he recovers from injuries sustained when a car plowed into the back of his rented SUV on a New Hampshire highway on Saturday.
Giuliani suffered a fractured vertebrae and multiple cuts and bruises to his left arm and lower leg in the crash, which also left his spokesman, Ted Goodman, and the driver of the other vehicle hospitalized.
The former mayor is “in good spirits and recovering tremendously,” according to his head of security Michael Ragusa.
Before the crash, Giuliani and Goodman were flagged down by a woman who had been a victim of domestic violence, Ragusa said in a statement.
The pair pulled over to call 911 and render aid when a 19-year-old driver struck their vehicle from behind.
Giuliani is a longtime friend and ally of Trump, a relationship that dates back to the president’s days as a real estate developer and the former mayor’s time as a US attorney in the Southern District of New York.
He served as an adviser to Trump during his 2016 presidential campaign and later as the commander in chief’s personal lawyer.
Since 2020, Giuliani has faced a myriad of legal woes – including criminal charges out of Georgia and Arizona, disbarment and a $148 million defamation judgment – related to his alleged efforts to undo Trump’s election loss to Joe Biden and advance fraud claims.
Giuliani earned the nickname “America’s Mayor” in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. He was the public face of New York’s response to the unprecedented attack and the ensuing recovery efforts.
His leadership and visibility amid the crisis earned him numerous honors.
The Presidential Medal of Freedom is awarded to individuals who have made especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the US, world peace, or cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.
Trump bestowed the honor on 24 people during his first term, including golf great Tiger Woods, late conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh and New York Yankees legend Mariano Rivera.
“There is no American more deserving of this honor,” Giuliani spokesman Ted Goodman wrote on X.
“Mayor Rudy Giuliani took down the Mafia, saved New York City, comforted the nation following 9/11, and served in countless other ways to improve the lives of others,” he added. “Thank you, President Trump, for honoring his life and legacy.”
