Donald Trump has announced that he will award Rudy Giuliani the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
“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, 79, wrote on Truth Social on Monday, Sept. 1.
He added that details about the date and location of the ceremony will be shared later.
“Thank you for your attention to this matter. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!” Trump concluded.
Although Trump didn’t say why he made the announcement now, it came just two days after Giuliani, 81, was badly injured in a car accident in New Hampshire on Aug. 30.
Michael Ragusa, Giuliani’s head of security, confirmed the crash in a post on Instagram.
According to Ragusa, Giuliani was “assisting a domestic violence victim” and waiting for police to arrive when “he was struck from behind while driving on the highway.”
He said Giuliani was taken to a trauma center, where doctors diagnosed him with a fractured thoracic vertebrae, several cuts and bruises, and injuries to his left arm and lower leg.
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Still, Ragusa noted that Giuliani was “in good spirits and recovering tremendously.”
The next day, his son Andrew Giuliani praised his father on X, calling him “the toughest SOB I’ve ever seen!”
Giuliani, who served as mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001, has had a decades-long friendship with Trump and also worked as his personal attorney.
After Trump’s second impeachment by the House of Representatives in January 2021, reports surfaced claiming Trump was refusing to pay Giuliani’s legal fees.
At the time, Trump campaign senior adviser Jason Miller pushed back on those rumors in a tweet.
“Just spoke with President Trump, and he told me that @RudyGiuliani is a great guy and a Patriot who devoted his services to the country!” Miller wrote. “We all love America’s Mayor!”
