President Trump announced Monday that former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who served as his personal lawyer during high-profile legal battles over the 2020 election results, would receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the country’s highest civilian honor.
“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 posted on Truth Social.
The president said more details on the timing of the award would come later. The honor is typically bestowed on individuals during ceremonies held at the White House.
The announcement came two days after Giuliani was seriously injured in a car crash in New Hampshire. The former mayor’s head of security said Giuliani’s vehicle was “struck from behind at high speed” while traveling on a highway.
Giuliani was transported to a nearby trauma center where he “was diagnosed with a fractured thoracic vertebrae, multiple lacerations and contusions, as well as injuries to his left arm and lower leg,” his head of security, Michael Ragusa, said in a statement to media outlets over the weekend.
He added that Giuliani was “in great spirits.”
Giuliani was released from the hospital on Monday afternoon, The New York Times reported, citing a friend of the former mayor.
Known as “America’s mayor” in the aftermath of the 9/11 terror attacks in New York City, Giuliani played a central role in Trump’s efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, though dozens of lawsuits filed in various states failed to change the outcome in Trump’s favor.
The former U.S. associate attorney general and U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York faced fallout from his efforts surrounding the 2020 election. Giuliani was permanently disbarred from practicing law in Washington, D.C., last year. Two Georgia election workers also won a $148 million defamation judgment against Giuliani, who reached a settlement in the case earlier this year.
The Hill has reached out to the White House for more details on the award announced Monday.
— Tara Suter contributed reporting.
