Top civilian honour to Rudy Giuliani: Ex-NYC mayor to get Presidential Medal of Freedom; Trump hails him as 'great American patriot'

US President Donald Trump on Monday announced that Rudy Giuliani, the former New York City mayor and longtime ally, will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honour.Trump made the announcement on Truth Social, calling Giuliani "the greatest Mayor in the history of New York City" and "an equally great American Patriot." He added that details of the ceremony would be shared later.The announcement came just a day after Giuliani was seriously injured in a car crash in New Hampshire. His spokesman, Michael Ragusa, said the 80-year-old former mayor had pulled over to assist a woman fleeing domestic violence and had helped her call 911. After leaving the scene, Giuliani's rental car was struck from behind at high speed on the highway.He was hospitalised with multiple injuries, including a fractured thoracic vertebrae, contusions, and injuries to his left arm and lower leg. Ragusa said Monday that Giuliani's condition is improving and that he is expected to be discharged in the coming days."This is a man who survived 9/11—so a little car accident won't be slowing him down," Ragusa said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "He is eager to return to business and continue fighting for this country, as he has proudly done for the past 50 years."Giuliani, who served as mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001, rose to national prominence for his leadership following the September 11 attacks. More recently, he joined Trump's legal team in 2018, representing him during the Robert Mueller investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.