Rudy Giuliani served as New York City’s mayor from 1994 to 2001 and later sought multiple political roles without success. After leaving office, the former United States Associate Attorney General transitioned into private-sector work with law firms and corporations. His national profile reignited in 2016 when he supported Donald Trump’s presidential campaign.
Giuliani subsequently entered Trump’s early administration in 2017 and joined his legal team the following year. Even after Trump lost the 2020 presidential election to President Joe Biden, Giuliani remained one of his closest allies.
For years, Giuliani promoted claims that the 2020 results were invalid and helped coordinate attempts to challenge the outcome. He filed and argued numerous lawsuits and, in turn, was met with legal challenges of his own. Ultimately, he lost his law licenses in both New York and Washington, D.C.
In September 2025, Trump announced he would award Giuliani the Presidential Medal of Freedom and later issued a “full, complete and unconditional pardon.”
“The president has made the justice system fair again,” Giuliani told the New York Post after learning of the pardon on Nov. 10.
Below is an overview of Giuliani’s actions since the 2020 election and the reasoning behind Trump’s pardon.
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He continued defending Trump after the 2020 election
Following his role in Trump’s 2016 campaign, Giuliani remained deeply involved during the 2020 race and persisted in defending Trump after his defeat. Giuliani represented Trump in lawsuits challenging state-level procedures, certifications and alleged irregularities, while Trump’s legal team faced countersuits from various organizations and states.
He was labeled a co-conspirator in efforts to overturn the results
Many of the lawsuits involving Giuliani centered on claims questioning the legitimacy of the election. According to ABC News, Trump relied on Giuliani to lead legal actions targeting several states. Journalist Maggie Haberman wrote in her book Confidence Man, per Business Insider, that Trump encouraged Giuliani to “go wild” and use any means possible.
Giuliani played a significant role in lawsuits related to vote counting and certification processes in key battleground states. As USA Today reported, Trump’s allies filed 62 cases; all but one were dismissed or failed.
Despite these failures, Giuliani continued asserting the election was rigged. On Jan. 6, 2021, he addressed a crowd before the attack on the U.S. Capitol, repeating false allegations of voter fraud and calling for “trial by combat,” a phrase he later said was not intended to incite violence.
Indictments followed. By 2023 and 2024, investigations from the Justice Department and grand juries in Atlanta and Arizona identified Giuliani and Trump as “co-conspirators” attempting to change the outcome, according to The New York Times.
Giuliani pleaded not guilty to nine federal charges in Arizona, with a trial scheduled for January 2026, as reported by The Hill. As of November 2025, he has maintained that he had the right to question the election.
He was disbarred in Washington, D.C., and New York
Giuliani’s role in the post-election legal efforts triggered investigations into his conduct. Shortly after the Capitol attack, the New York State Bar Association announced an inquiry. By June 2021, an appellate court suspended his license, and three years later, a New York state appeals court officially disbarred him, ruling that he “flagrantly misused his prominent position.”
The D.C. Court of Appeals also suspended his license in 2021 for violating ethical rules and later fully disbarred him in September 2024, according to ABC News.
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He was ordered to pay nearly $150 million in a major defamation case
Giuliani also faced major civil litigation. In 2021, Georgia election workers Ruby Freeman and her daughter Wandrea’ ArShaye Moss sued him for defamation after he accused them of engaging in illegal conduct, as reported by The Guardian.
Their testimony before the Jan. 6 House Select Committee detailed threats and harassment that followed the accusations. PBS reported on Freeman’s fear for her safety as her home became a target of Trump supporters.
In December 2023, a jury ordered Giuliani to pay $148 million in damages. After he filed for bankruptcy, he later reached a confidential settlement, retaining his homes while agreeing to an undisclosed payment, according to Politico.
More lawsuits persisted through late 2025. These included a civil suit from former employee Noelle Dunphy alleging sexual assault, wage theft and abuse of power (reported by the BBC), which Giuliani denies. He also faced legal actions from law firm Davidoff Hutcher & Citron over unpaid fees, a hacking allegation from Hunter Biden (later withdrawn), and high-profile defamation cases from Dominion Voting Systems and Smartmatic, which were settled in September 2025.
He tried podcasting, radio, YouTube content and even appeared on The Masked Singer
During this period, Giuliani explored media and entertainment ventures. He launched the Rudy Giuliani’s Common Sense podcast in 2020, with its final episode airing in February 2023. In 2021, he hosted a daily radio show on WABC, which was canceled in 2024 after remarks questioning the election, according to NBC News.
He also created a YouTube presence with America’s Mayor Live! and launched a Cameo account in 2021 to generate additional income.
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In 2022, he appeared as a contestant on The Masked Singer, prompting judges Ken Jeong and Robin Thicke to briefly exit the set.
Trump strongly defended him and eventually pardoned him
In November 2025, Trump formally pardoned Giuliani and more than 70 others connected to challenges to the 2020 election. Ed Martin of the U.S. Department of Justice announced the decision on X.
The pardon letter stated that the action “ends a grave national injustice perpetrated upon the American people following the 2020 Presidential Election.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt argued that Giuliani and others had been unfairly targeted for questioning election results.
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Although the pardon shields Giuliani from federal charges, it does not impact civil cases or state-level proceedings, according to U.S. News & World Report.
Trump also announced plans to award Giuliani the Presidential Medal of Freedom, posting on Truth Social on Sept. 1, 2025:
“As President of the United States of America … Rudy Giuliani … will receive THE PRESIDENTIAL MEDAL OF FREEDOM, our Country’s highest civilian honor.”
