Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani will be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honour, Donald Trump has announced.
It comes two days after the US president’s longtime political ally was seriously injured in a car crash in New Hampshire.
Giuliani was the mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001 and was lauded for his leadership following the 9/11 attacks. In a statement on Truth Social, Trump called Giuliani the “greatest Mayor in the history of New York City, and an equally great American Patriot.”
The Medal of Freedom, established in 1963, is awarded to individuals who have made especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, world peace, or cultural or other significant public endeavours.
In his first term, Trump bestowed the honour on radio host Rush Limbaugh, golfer Tiger Woods and baseball player Babe Ruth, among others.
After leading New York through the aftermath of 9/11, Giuliani mounted a brief campaign for the Republican presidential nomination and became one of the most recognisable political figures in the country.
But as Trump’s personal lawyer, he became a central figure in efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Courts repeatedly rejected the fraud claims he advanced, and two former Georgia election workers won a $148 million defamation judgment against him.
The election workers, Ruby Freeman and Wandrea “Shaye” Moss, said Giuliani’s efforts to promote Trump’s lies about the election being stolen led to death threats that made them fear for their lives.
Giuliani was disbarred in New York and Washington for repeatedly making false statements about the election, and he was criminally charged in Georgia and Arizona in connection with efforts to undo Trump’s loss to Democrat Joe Biden. He has denied wrongdoing.
Giuliani, 81, was taken to hospital after the Saturday night collision in New Hampshire.
State police said he was a passenger in a rented Ford Bronco driven by his spokesperson, Ted Goodman, when the vehicle was struck from behind by a Honda HR-V.
Giuliani suffered a fractured thoracic vertebra along with multiple lacerations, contusions and injuries to his left arm and leg, according to his security chief, Michael Ragusa.
On Monday, Ragusa said Giuliani remained in the hospital but was expected to be released “soon.”
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