President Donald Trump announced on Monday that he will award the Presidential Medal of Freedom to former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani. This announcement comes just two days after Giuliani was seriously injured in a car accident.

The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian honor in the United States. Giuliani, who was once celebrated for his leadership in New York following the September 11, 2001, attacks, has faced significant legal challenges in recent years. He has been sanctioned by courts and disbarred for promoting false claims regarding the 2020 presidential election. Giuliani has also been criminally charged in two states but has denied any wrongdoing.

In a statement on social media, Trump referred to Giuliani as the "greatest Mayor in the history of New York City, and an equally great American Patriot." Giuliani's public life has seen a dramatic rise and fall over the past two decades. After his tenure as mayor, he briefly ran for the Republican presidential nomination and became a prominent political figure.

As Trump's personal attorney, Giuliani played a key role in efforts to contest the 2020 election results. However, courts consistently dismissed the fraud claims he presented. Additionally, two former Georgia election workers, Ruby Freeman and Wandrea "Shaye" Moss, won a $148 million defamation judgment against him. They claimed that Giuliani's promotion of false narratives about the election led to death threats, causing them to fear for their safety.

Giuliani was disbarred in both New York and Washington, D.C., for making repeated false statements about the election. He faces criminal charges in Georgia and Arizona related to attempts to overturn Trump's defeat to Democrat Joe Biden.

Giuliani, 81, was hospitalized following a car crash in New Hampshire on Saturday night. According to state police, he was a passenger in a rented Ford Bronco driven by his spokesperson, Ted Goodman, when their vehicle was rear-ended by a Honda HR-V. Giuliani sustained a fractured thoracic vertebra, along with multiple lacerations and contusions to his left arm and leg. His security chief, Michael Ragusa, reported that Giuliani remains hospitalized but is expected to be released soon.

The Medal of Freedom, established in 1963, is awarded to individuals who have made significant contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, world peace, or other notable public endeavors.