Rudy Giuliani is set to receive the nation’s highest civilian honor just days after surviving a car accident in New Hampshire. President Donald Trump announced that his longtime ally and friend will be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
The announcement came only two days after Giuliani, 81, was involved in a crash still under investigation by state police. “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 on Monday evening.
That same evening, New Hampshire State Police released their official report, which differed in key areas from accounts shared by Giuliani’s camp. Troopers said Giuliani, his driver and spokesperson Ted Goodman were driving south on I-93 around 9 p.m. when they were flagged down by a woman reporting a domestic violence incident near Exit 9N.
After speaking with the police, the two men continued northbound on I-93. Minutes later, their vehicle was struck from behind at mile marker 23.2, across from the earlier incident scene. The other driver was identified as Lauren Kemp, 19, of Concord. Investigators said she was not connected to the domestic violence call and are looking into whether distraction from the nearby police activity contributed to the collision.
All involved suffered non-life-threatening injuries. Giuliani’s medical partner, Dr. Maria Ryan, claimed the crash impact was “like a rocket” and said it fractured Giuliani’s spine. She added that the woman who initially stopped Giuliani’s car was the aggressor in the domestic dispute and suggested troopers asked Giuliani for selfies—details not included in the police account.
Giuliani, once hailed as “America’s Mayor” after the September 11 attacks, served as New York City’s mayor from 1994 to 2001 and was named TIME Magazine’s Person of the Year in 2001. His later career has been far more turbulent. He spearheaded Trump’s legal challenge to the 2020 election, which led to disbarment in New York and Washington, D.C., and was ordered to pay $148 million to two Georgia election workers he was found to have defamed.
Still, Trump praised Giuliani’s record, while Goodman added, “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.” The Presidential Medal of Freedom, first established in 1945, has been awarded to figures such as Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, Maya Angelou, and Stephen Hawking. Giuliani will soon join that distinguished list of recipients.