Rudy Giuliani has good reason to get well soon.
President Donald Trump shared on Sunday that he’ll award his longtime pal and political ally the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The announcement came just two days after Giuliani, 81, was reportedly banged up in a car crash in New Hampshire that authorities are still investigating.
“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.
Also on Monday evening, New Hampshire State Police shared new details of the crash, which seemed to differ from what Giuliani’s camp has said about the accident in some key ways.
Troopers say Giuliani and his driver/spokesperson Ted Goodman were driving southbound on I-93 when they were flagged down by a woman reporting a domestic violence incident near Exit 9N around 9 p.m. After speaking with the police, the pair left.
“Minutes later, Goodman and Giuliani got back on I-93, this time headed northbound, when they were struck from behind at mile marker 23.2, almost directly across from the scene of the reported domestic violence incident on the southbound side,” the statement read. “Troopers who were already at the initial scene responded immediately and provided aid.”
The driver of the other vehicle, a Honda HR-V SUV, was identified on Monday as Lauren Kemp, 19, of Concord.
Investigators believe the teen driver had no connection to the domestic violence call and are probing whether “distraction or curiosity of the initial scene” played a role in the collision. Giuliani and the two drivers suffered non-life-threatening injuries, and police are reviewing camera footage.
Meanwhile, Giuliani’s medical provider and business partner, Dr. Maria Ryan, told supporters the crash hit “like a rocket,” and fractured the former prosecutor’s spine.
Ryan also said that the woman who initially flagged Giuliani’s car down was actually the aggressor and that her boyfriend was “bloodied.” She even threw in that troopers wanted a selfie with Giuliani—details not included in the police account.
In the same message, Ryan attached a prayer for followers to say for the ailing Giuliani.
Giuliani served as Mayor of New York City from January 1, 1994 through December 31, 2001. In the wake of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, he became known as “America’s Mayor” and was named TIME Magazine’s “Person of the Year” that same year.
The two decades since then have been a bit of a rollercoaster for Giuliani. Once Trump’s top lawyer, he led the legal efforts to challenge the results of the 2020 election, leading to him being disbarred in both New York and Washington D.C for making false claims about the outcome. He was also found guilty of defaming two former election workers in Georgia and ordered to pay them $148 million.
“There is no American more deserving of this honor,” Goodman said in a social media post. “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.”
It’s a whiplash reunion. In 2024, Giuliani complained that Trump and the RNC still owed him roughly $2 million in legal fees, even after Trump held a six-figure-a-plate fundraiser for him. While the pair have been supportive of each other publicly, Giuliani is no longer the central figure in the Trump team that he once was.
The Presidential Medal of Freedom is awarded to individuals who have made “an especially meritorious contribution” to security, world peace, cultural achievements or other significant endeavors.
Established in 1945 by President Harry S. Truman to recognize civilian service during World War II, iconic civil rights champion Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was awarded one for his equality campaigning.
Other recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom include Rosa Parks, Mother Teresa, Maya Angelou, Stephen Hawking, and Harvey Milk.
Earlier this month, the White House announced it may consider awarding former DOGE goon Edward “Big Balls” Coristine, 19, the same medal for the bravery he showed during a carjacking in Washington, D.C.
The Daily Beast has reached out to both Giuliani and the New Hampshire State Police for comment.
