President’s announcement comes as ex-New York mayor released from hospital
Rudy Giuliani, President Donald Trump’s former campaign legal advisor, speaks at the Republican National Committee headquarters in Washington, D.C., on November 19, 2020. On Monday, Trump announced he will award the former New York City mayor with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. File Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo
President Donald Trump announced Monday he will award the Presidential Medal of Freedom — the nation’s highest civilian honor — to Rudy Giuliani, as the former New York City mayor was being released from the hospital following a weekend car crash.
Trump called his one-time lawyer “the greatest mayor” and a “great American patriot,” in a post Monday on Truth Social.
“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, adding that details about a time and location were still being worked out.
Giuliani, 81, was released from the hospital Monday afternoon after he was involved in a car crash in Manchester, N.H., on Saturday night. Giuliani suffered a fractured vertebra when the car he was riding in was “struck from behind at high speed” on Interstate 93.
“He was transported to a nearby trauma center, where he was diagnosed with a fractured thoracic vertebrae, multiple lacerations and contusions, as well as injuries to his left arm and lower leg,” said Giuliani’s head security official, Michael Ragusa. Ragusa said Giuliani was in “great spirits” and was “fully alert and conscious.”
Before the crash, Giuliani had stopped after he was “flagged down by a woman who was the victim of a domestic violence incident,” Ragusa said, adding that he “immediately rendered assistance and contacted 911.”
As of Monday, Giuliani was fitted for a brace and will begin physical therapy during his recovery, according to a statement by his medical provider, Dr. Maria Ryan.
Giuliani was mayor of New York City during the Sept. 11 terror attacks in 2001, and was often referred to as “America’s mayor.” Trump appointed Giuliani to an advisory council inside the Department of Homeland Security in June.
The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the United States’ highest civilian honor, awarded by the president to individuals “who have made exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values or security of the United States, world peace or other significant societal, public or private endeavors,” according to the White House.
