President Donald Trump announced he will award Rudy Giuliani the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest U.S. civilian honor.
Giuliani’s award announcement came two days after he was hospitalized due to a car crash in New Hampshire.
Why it matters: The Presidential Medal of Freedom honors individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the U.S. or global society.
Driving the news: Trump praised Giuliani as “the greatest Mayor in the history of New York City” and “an equally great American Patriot” via Truth Social.
- Giuliani served as New York City mayor from 1994 to 2001 and was widely known as “America’s Mayor” for his leadership after the 9/11 attacks.
- More recently, Giuliani worked as Trump’s attorney during efforts to challenge the 2020 presidential election results.
- In 2023, Giuliani admitted in court that he made defamatory statements about two Georgia election workers related to the 2020 election dispute.
- He was found in civil contempt of court earlier this year for failing to disclose information about his assets involved in the defamation ruling.
- Giuliani was seriously injured in a high-speed rear-end collision on Saturday, suffering a fractured vertebra and cuts.
- His spokesperson, Michael Ragusa, confirmed Giuliani is recovering well and clarified the crash was not a targeted attack.
