On September 1, 2025, former President Donald Trump announced he would award the Presidential Medal of Freedom—the nation’s highest civilian honor—to Rudy Giuliani, the former New York City mayor, federal prosecutor, and Trump’s longtime political ally. The announcement came just two days after Giuliani, 81, was seriously injured in a car crash in New Hampshire, thrusting the controversial figure back into the national spotlight at a moment of both personal vulnerability and political significance.
Trump made the announcement via Truth Social, his favored social media platform, calling Giuliani “the greatest Mayor in the history of New York City, and an equally great American Patriot.” The timing of the announcement, so soon after Giuliani’s hospitalization, added a poignant note to a story already filled with dramatic highs and lows. According to the Associated Press, Giuliani was a passenger in a rented Ford Bronco driven by his spokesperson, Ted Goodman, when their vehicle was struck from behind by a Honda HR-V on the night of August 30. Giuliani suffered a fractured thoracic vertebra, multiple lacerations, contusions, and injuries to his left arm and leg. Goodman was also injured in the crash.
Giuliani was hospitalized immediately following the accident. By September 1, he was released and able to walk, though his son Andrew Giuliani told WABC 770 AM, “he’s in a lot of pain” but “he’s walking, thank God.” Goodman, who was driving at the time, expressed gratitude for Trump’s gesture, stating on X (formerly Twitter), “There is no American more deserving of this honor. Mayor Rudy Giuliani took down the Mafia, saved New York City, comforted the nation following 9/11, and served in countless other ways to improve the lives of others.”
For much of the nation, Giuliani’s name is synonymous with the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. As mayor of New York City, he was widely praised for his leadership, earning the moniker “America’s Mayor.” His tough-on-crime reputation was forged earlier, as a federal prosecutor who took on organized crime in the 1980s. These achievements propelled him to national prominence and a brief run for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008.
Yet, as The New York Times and Axios both note, Giuliani’s public life has been defined by a striking rise and fall. In recent years, he became one of Trump’s most loyal defenders, advising the president during the 2016 campaign and joining Trump’s legal team in 2018. Giuliani played a central role in efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, amplifying false claims of widespread voter fraud. Courts repeatedly rejected these claims, but Giuliani persisted, becoming entangled in a series of legal and financial problems.
By 2023, Giuliani had filed for bankruptcy. He was criminally charged in both Georgia and Arizona for his alleged involvement in attempts to overturn the 2020 election results, charges to which he has pleaded not guilty and denied any wrongdoing. In Washington, D.C., and New York, Giuliani was disbarred for his false statements about the election, effectively ending his legal career. As NBC News reported, Giuliani was also sued for defamation by two Fulton County, Georgia, election workers, Ruby Freeman and Wandrea “Shaye” Moss, who said Giuliani’s promotion of election lies led to death threats and fear for their lives. A federal judge ordered Giuliani to pay the pair $146 million, and the parties reached a settlement earlier in 2025, with Giuliani insisting the agreement “does not involve an admission of liability or wrongdoing.”
Despite these controversies, Trump’s decision to honor Giuliani with the Presidential Medal of Freedom underscores the former president’s loyalty to his allies and his willingness to elevate figures who have remained steadfast in his corner. The move also highlights the polarizing nature of the award itself. The Medal of Freedom, originally created by President Harry S. Truman in 1945 and reestablished by President John F. Kennedy in 1963, has been awarded fewer than 700 times. It is intended for 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 endeavors.”
Giuliani would be the first recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom in Trump’s second term, joining a list of past honorees that includes politicians, actors, athletes, musicians, philanthropists, and religious figures. Some of the more controversial recipients from Trump’s first term included conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh, Ohio Representative Jim Jordan, and Republican megadonor Miriam Adelson.
Reactions to the announcement have reflected the country’s deep political divides. Supporters, like Goodman and Andrew Giuliani, see the award as a fitting recognition of Giuliani’s decades of public service and his role in guiding New York through its darkest days. “Thank you, President Trump, for honoring his life and legacy,” Goodman said. Andrew Giuliani described the moment as “kind of overwhelming considering that, you know, just two days ago I was concerned whether or not we’d still have him with us or not.”
Critics, however, point to Giuliani’s recent legal troubles and his role in spreading falsehoods about the 2020 election as evidence that the honor is misplaced. The disbarments, criminal charges, and defamation verdict have all raised questions about the standards and motivations behind Trump’s selection. As The Washington Post and The New York Times have reported, Giuliani’s fall from grace has been as dramatic as his rise, and his legacy remains hotly debated.
Giuliani, for his part, has retreated from public life in recent years, moving from New York to New Hampshire. According to The New York Times, he had been cheering on a local baseball team just hours before the car accident that left him hospitalized. Trump, who once refused to pay Giuliani for his legal work after the 2020 election, eventually participated in a fundraiser to help cover his former lawyer’s mounting bills.
The details of the award ceremony have yet to be announced, but Trump’s statement made clear that he intends to honor Giuliani’s “life and legacy” despite the legal clouds that continue to hang over him. The Medal of Freedom, with its storied history and symbolic weight, thus becomes the latest stage for a figure whose career has spanned heroism, controversy, and—now—another moment in the national spotlight.
As the country absorbs the news, the debate over Giuliani’s legacy and the meaning of the Medal of Freedom is likely to continue. For now, one thing is certain: Rudy Giuliani, for better or worse, remains a central character in the ongoing drama of American politics.
