President Trump to award Rudy Giuliani the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

President Donald Trump says he’ll award the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the country’s highest civilian honor, to former New York mayor and Trump adviser Rudy Giuliani, 81, who was injured in an automobile accident on Aug. 30.

Trump made the announcement on Truth Social on Sept. 1 but did not indicate when the medal would be presented, USA TODAY reported. The president said Giuliani is "the greatest Mayor in the history of New York City (and) an equally great American Patriot."

The Presidential Medal is usually given to individuals in recognition of lifetime achievements in a variety of fields, including contributions to the prosperity, values, or security of the U.S., world peace, or other significant societal, public, or private endeavors, Reuters said.

How many Presidential Medals of Freedom have been awarded?

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The award also acknowledges accomplishments in the arts, public service, science, or other achievements, according to congress.gov.

Giuliani was hurt in an automobile crash near Manchester, New Hampshire. He suffered a fractured thoracic vertebra, multiple lacerations and contusions, and injuries to his left arm and lower leg. He was released from the hospital on Sept. 2.

Who has received the Presidential Medal from Trump?

In his first term in office, Trump gave the Presidential Medal to 24 individuals, about half of them for achievements in sports. Awarding the medal to Giuliani would be the first award in Trump's second term.

Giuliani was mayor of New York from 1994 to 2001 and was once known as "America's Mayor" for his response to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. He later became an adviser to the Trump campaign.

In 2023, Giuliani conceded in court that he had made defamatory statements about a pair of Georgia election workers when he falsely accused them of trying to help steal the 2020 election for Democrat Joe Biden.

He was disbarred in 2024 from practicing law in the state of New York and Washington, DC over his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, USA TODAY reported.

What is the Presidential Medal of Freedom?

The medal was introduced by President Harry Truman in July 1945 as a way to honor civilians for heroic acts in wartime.

It was reintroduced and expanded by President John F. Kennedy in February 1963. The guidelines were listed as:

  • The security or national interests of the United States.
  • World peace.
  • Cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.

Medal recipients are chosen by the president, who is advised by a Distinguished Civilian Service Awards Board, a group created in 1957.

The medal has two grades, one known as “standard,” the other as “with distinction.” Only 56 medals with distinction have been awarded.

The medal has been given to 670 individuals – Ellsworth Bunker and Colin Powell received it twice – and one group, the Apollo 13 Missions Operations Team.

CONTRIBUTING Joey Garrison, USA TODAY

SOURCE USA TODAY Network reporting and research; Reuters; Congressional Research Service; congress.gov

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump says he'll give Presidential Medal to Giuliani. Who else has he given it to?

Reporting by George Petras and Janet Loehrke, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect