President Donald Trump said Monday that he will award Rudy Giuliani the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, two days after the former New York City mayor was injured in a car accident.
“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 wrote on Truth Social, adding that he would announce details and time at a later time.
Giuliani’s head of security, Michael Ragusa, said Sunday that the former mayor sustained injuries that included a spinal fracture after he was “struck from behind at high speed” while riding as a passenger in a vehicle on a highway in New Hampshire.
He also said that before the Saturday evening crash, Giuliani was “flagged down by a woman who was the victim of a domestic violence incident,” and he “immediately rendered assistance and contacted 911,” staying on scene until police arrived.
Ragusa said that Giuliani was “in great spirits” and “fully alert and conscious,” and in his Sunday evening update, added that Giuliani was "scheduled to be fitted with a brace and will begin physical therapy."
Police identified Ted Goodman, who has served as a staffer to Giuliani, as the driver of the vehicle the former mayor was in. He sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to a hospital.
"Investigators believe the driver who struck Goodman and Giuliani had no connection to the initial domestic violence incident," the New Hampshire State Police said in a statement Monday evening. "At this time, all aspects of the crash remain under investigation, including whether distraction or curiosity of the initial scene was a factor. No charges have been filed."
Giuliani rose to national prominence as mayor of New York City after the 9/11 attacks. He backed Trump during his 2016 run for president and joined his legal team in 2018. Giuliani represented Trump in lawsuits attempting to overthrow the 2020 election results, and he was eventually barred from practicing law in both New York and Washington, D.C., for those efforts and the misinformation he spread.
Giuliani also faced charges in Georgia and Arizona and was named as an unindicted co-conspirator in special counsel Jack Smith’s federal election interference case against Trump. Giuliani denied the allegations.
Past recipients of the award include the crew of the Apollo 11, actor Denzel Washington, journalist Edward R. Murrow, gymnast Simone Biles and director Steven Spielberg. In his first term, Trump bestowed the honor on radio host Rush Limbaugh, golfer Tiger Woods, Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan and baseball player Babe Ruth, among others.
