Trump says he’s awarding former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani the Presidential Medal of Freedom

U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday (September 1, 2025) he’s awarding former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani the Presidential Medal of Freedom, announcing the honour two days after his political ally was badly injured in a traffic accident.

Mr. Trump in a statement on social media called Mr. Giuliani, who was heralded for his leadership following the September 11, 2001, attacks but has sometimes drawn controversy for his defence of Mr. Trump, the “greatest Mayor in the history of New York City, and an equally great American Patriot”.

Mr. Giuliani is recovering from a fractured vertebra and other injuries following a car crash in New Hampshire in which he was a passenger, a spokesperson for the mayor said Sunday (August 31, 2025).

Mr. Giuliani was being driven in a rented Ford Bronco by his spokesperson Ted Goodman when their vehicle was struck from behind by a Honda HR-V driven by a 19-year-old woman late Saturday (August 30, 2025) evening, New Hampshire State Police said in a statement.

Mr. Giuliani was disbarred as an attorney in New York and Washington after he was found to have repeatedly made false statements about Mr. Trump’s 2020 election loss. He was criminally charged in Georgia and Arizona over his role in the effort to overturn the 2020 election but denied the allegations.

Former Georgia election workers Ruby Freeman and Wandrea “Shaye” Moss won a $148 million defamation judgment against Mr. Giuliani for his false ballot fraud claims against them related to the 2020 election. Ms. Freeman and Ms. Moss said Mr. Giuliani pushed Mr. Trump’s lies about the election being stolen, which led to death threats that made them fear for their lives.