News that Rudy Giuliani would receive the nation's highest civilian honor from President Donald Trump earned swift mockery and outrage from observers on Labor Day.
Giuliani suffered fractured vertebrae and other injuries in a serious crash Saturday night near Manchester, New Hampshire. According to a statement signed by Michael Ragusa, Giuliani's head of security, the incident occurred after Giuliani "was flagged down by a woman who was the victim of a domestic violence incident."
"Mayor Giuliani immediately rendered assistance and contacted 911. He remained on scene until responding officers arrived to ensure her safety," the statement said. "Following this, while traveling on the highway, Mayor Giuliani's vehicle was struck from behind at high speed. He was transported to a nearby trauma center, where he was diagnosed with a fractured thoracic vertebrae, multiple lacerations and contusions, as well as injuries to his left arm and lower leg."
Ragusa told the New York Post the ex-mayor was in "great spirits."
"He’s a beast. He survived 9/11," he said.
On Monday, Trump said Giuliani — a staunch MAGA loyalist — would receive the nation's highest civilian honor.
"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. Details as to time and place to follow," said Trump.
The medal is bestowed by the president on people who have made especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the country, world peace, or significant cultural or public endeavors.
The former New York City mayor was found liable for defamation against two Georgia election workers, resulting in a $148 million judgment. Courts have repeatedly held him in contempt for continuing to attack the workers and for failing to comply with court orders.
Giuliani has also faced disbarment and both civil and criminal accusations related to his role in MAGA efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
The internet swiftly rebuked the announcement.
Political commentator Brian Krassenstein wrote on X, "Note that Giuliani has been charged with felonies in two different states, including racketeering and has been found liable for over $100 million in damages. What a joke!"
George Conway, a conservative never-Trump attorney, roasted Giuliani on X by posting the address of Four Seasons Total Landscaping, where the Trump campaign and Giuliani once mistakenly held a news conference, thinking it was the upscale Four Seasons Hotel in Philadelphia.
"Afterparty by invitation only at FOUR SEASONS TOTAL LANDSCAPING7339 State Road Philadelphia, PA 19136," mocked Conway.
Andrew Wortman, author of America Rises Substack, wrote on X, "Rudy Giuliani went from 'America’s Mayor' to Trump’s drunken coup-plotting treason-weasel. Giving him a Medal of Freedom is spitting in the face of democracy."
Adam Cochran, a professor, wrote on X, "Ok what….?! The same day Rudy Giuliani gets hit with a car, in the weirdest news report ever… Trump’s team announces he is giving Giuliani the Presidential Medal of Freedom? I mean if you wanted to start a conspiracy that someone tried to silence Rudy and is now paying him off, you could not have picked better timing…"
Social media pundit Russell Drew wrote on X, "Donald Trump is at it again—handing out the Presidential Medal of Freedom like party favors. First Rush Limbaugh, now Rudy Giuliani. He keeps giving America’s highest civilian honor to the worst people, as long as they stay loyal. It doesn’t honor them, it dishonors the nation.
The Republicans against Trump account flagged Giuliani's own words from last year, writing on X: "Rudy Giuliani: The reality is, I have no cash. Right now, if I want to call a taxi, I can't do it. I don't have a credit card; I don't have a checking account. I have no place I can go take cash out, except a little bit that I saved but it's getting down to almost nothing (2024)."
The account Call to Activism wrote on X, "Giuliani is a disbarred, disgraced, indicted ghoul who torched democracy for Trump’s ego. Sickening. As a reminder, he’s been disbarred in both NY and DC and lost an estimated $148 million in a defamation judgment for lying about election fraud. The washed-up, wine-soaked, hair-dye-dripping, election-denying, lawless political grifter deserves to have his legacy stripped to ashes. He deserves no award. Just to be forgotten."
