Trump to award ex-New-York mayor Rudy Giuliani Presidential Medal of Freedom after car crash

US President Donald Trump said Monday he will award Rudy Giuliani the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, just two days after his longtime ally was seriously injured in a car crash.

Trump announced the decision on his Truth Social platform, calling Giuliani the “greatest Mayor in the history of New York City, and an equally great American Patriot.”

Once praised for leading New York in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, Giuliani’s career later became defined by his role as Trump’s personal lawyer and his efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Courts repeatedly rejected the fraud claims he advanced, and a jury ordered him to pay $148 million to two Georgia election workers, Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, who said his false allegations triggered death threats.

Giuliani was disbarred in New York and Washington, DC, for spreading election falsehoods and faces criminal charges in Georgia and Arizona related to attempts to undo Trump’s loss to Joe Biden.

The 81-year-old was hospitalized Saturday night after a crash in New Hampshire. State police said Giuliani was a passenger in a rented Ford Bronco driven by his spokesperson Ted Goodman when another vehicle struck them from behind. According to his security chief, Michael Ragusa, he suffered a fractured thoracic vertebra, lacerations, and injuries to his arm and leg. Ragusa said Giuliani remains in the hospital but is expected to be discharged “soon.”

The Medal of Freedom, established in 1963, honors individuals who have made outstanding contributions to US security, national interests, world peace, or cultural and public life.