President Trump plans to award former New York City Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani the Presidential Medal of Freedom, a prestigious distinction for civilians who’ve contributed to America’s prosperity, values or security.
Mr. Trump announced it on Truth Social on Monday, shortly after Mr. Giuliani was released from the hospital after suffering a fractured vertebra Saturday night in New Hampshire when a car in which he was riding was rear-ended.
“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,” Mr. Trump wrote in his post.
The president said the timing of the medal ceremony would be announced later.
Mr. Giuliani, 81, served as New York City mayor from 1994 to 2001 and famously steered the city through the tragic aftermath of the terror attacks in lower Manhattan on Sept. 11, 2001.
He ran for president in 2008 and was the Republican-primary frontrunner for a time, but his campaign fizzled. He developed a close relationship with Mr. Trump during the New York real-estate tycoon’s rise to the presidency.
Mr. Giuliani served as an adviser and a personal attorney to Mr. Trump, doggedly defending him during the “Russiagate” controversy in his first term.
He also played a key role in legal fights following Mr. Trump’s 2020 loss to President Joseph R. Biden, which Mr. Trump fiercely contested.
His post-2020 election efforts ran into trouble when he faced a hefty judgment for defaming two Georgia election workers.
Mr. Trump did not say why he was awarding Mr. Giuliani the medal.
Michael Ragusa, the security chief for Mr. Giuliani, said online that Mr. Giuliani’s vehicle had been flagged down along the highway Saturday by a woman who needed help with a domestic violence incident.
Mr. Giuliani remained on the scene until officers arrived, but his car was struck after it returned to the highway, according to Mr. Ragusa.
