On Monday, September 1, 2025, President Donald Trump made a headline-grabbing announcement: former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor. The news, delivered via Trump’s Truth Social account, arrives at a turbulent time for Giuliani, who just days earlier was hospitalized following a serious car crash in New Hampshire.
“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, as reported by CNN and other major outlets. The timing of the announcement—just two days after Giuliani’s accident—adds a dramatic layer to an already eventful chapter in the former mayor’s storied, and lately embattled, career.
Giuliani, now 81, was hospitalized on August 30 after a car crash near Manchester, New Hampshire. The accident left him with a fractured thoracic vertebra, multiple lacerations and contusions, and injuries to his left arm and lower leg, according to USA Today. His spokesperson, Ted Goodman, who was also in the car and injured, said in a statement, “There is no American more deserving of this honor.” Goodman went on to praise Giuliani, saying, “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. Thank you, President Trump, for honoring his life and legacy.”
For many Americans, Giuliani’s legacy is inextricably linked to his time as mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001. His tough-on-crime policies and high-profile efforts to reduce violence in the city made him a national figure. But it was his leadership in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks that earned him the moniker “America’s Mayor.” Giuliani’s calm presence and emotional resilience during those harrowing days became a defining image of national strength and unity, as described in coverage by The New York Times and CNN.
After leaving the mayor’s office, Giuliani ran an unsuccessful campaign for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008. He later became a close adviser to Donald Trump, lending his legal and political expertise during Trump’s 2016 campaign and subsequently joining Trump’s legal team in 2018. Their alliance has remained steadfast, with Giuliani continuing to support Trump through various controversies and legal battles.
However, Giuliani’s recent years have been marred by significant legal and financial troubles. In 2023, he filed for bankruptcy—a stunning reversal for a man once at the pinnacle of American public life. He has also faced criminal charges in both Georgia and Arizona related to alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results. Giuliani denies any wrongdoing and has pleaded not guilty in both cases, according to Axios and USA Today.
His legal woes don’t end there. Giuliani was disbarred in both Washington, D.C., and New York in 2024 for making false statements about the 2020 election. In January 2025, he reached a legal settlement with two Georgia election workers, Ruby Freeman and Wandrea Moss, whom he had falsely accused of helping to steal the election. The settlement followed a massive $148 million judgment against Giuliani in a defamation case, as reported by USA Today. As part of the settlement, Giuliani agreed to stop defaming the two women.
Despite these challenges, Giuliani remains a polarizing but enduring figure in American politics. Supporters hail him as a hero who revitalized New York City and stood strong during one of the nation’s darkest hours. Critics point to his role in spreading baseless claims of election fraud and his subsequent legal troubles as evidence of a fall from grace. Even among those who once admired him, opinions are now sharply divided.
The Presidential Medal of Freedom, established by President John F. Kennedy in 1963, is awarded to individuals who have made “especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.” Over the past 25 years, 297 individuals have received the honor. President Barack Obama awarded the most—118 medals—while Trump awarded the fewest, with just 24 prior to this latest announcement, according to a tally published by Axios.
The list of past recipients is a who’s who of American and global figures: Muhammad Ali, Maya Angelou, Bill Gates, Meryl Streep, John Glenn, and Nelson Mandela, to name just a few. Giuliani now joins these ranks, a testament to his lasting impact—however controversial it may be. The White House has not yet specified when or where the medal will be presented, with Trump stating only, “Details as to time and place to follow.”
Giuliani’s influence extends beyond his own career. In May 2025, Trump appointed Giuliani’s son, Andrew Giuliani, a former New York Republican gubernatorial candidate, to lead the president’s task force on the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which the United States is set to co-host. This move underscores the continued intertwining of the Giuliani and Trump families within the current political landscape.
Of course, the announcement has sparked debate across the political spectrum. Supporters of Trump and Giuliani argue that the award is long overdue, given Giuliani’s decades of public service and his pivotal role after 9/11. Detractors, meanwhile, question the timing and appropriateness of the honor, citing Giuliani’s legal troubles and his role in promoting unsubstantiated claims about the 2020 election. The fact that Trump has awarded fewer Medals of Freedom than his predecessors also adds a layer of intrigue to the decision, suggesting a more selective or perhaps more politically charged approach to the honor.
For Giuliani, the medal represents both a career capstone and a point of controversy—a symbol of recognition for a lifetime of public service, but also a lightning rod for the ongoing debates that define American politics in 2025. As the nation awaits details about the formal presentation, the story of Rudy Giuliani’s rise, fall, and potential redemption continues to unfold, capturing the complexities of American public life in an era of deep division and rapid change.
Whatever one’s view, Giuliani’s journey from “America’s Mayor” to embattled Trump ally and now Presidential Medal of Freedom honoree is a testament to the unpredictable, often dramatic nature of American political history.
