US President Donald Trump will award former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani the Presidential Medal of Freedom, days after his longtime ally was seriously injured in a car accident.

Giuliani, 81, is recovering in a New Hampshire hospital after suffering spinal and limb injuries in Saturday’s crash. His spokesperson was driving when their car was rear-ended, state police said.

Trump announced the decision on social media, calling Giuliani the “greatest Mayor in the history of New York City, and an equally great American Patriot.”

The award, the country’s highest civilian honour, once marked Giuliani’s role as “America’s Mayor” after the September 11 attacks. But his career later unravelled as he pushed Trump’s false claims of election fraud in 2020.

Giuliani was disbarred in New York and Washington and faces criminal charges in Georgia and Arizona over efforts to overturn the election. A jury also ordered him to pay $148 million to two Georgia poll workers he defamed.

The Medal of Freedom, created in 1963, honours contributions to US security, world peace or other public endeavours. Trump’s move puts the spotlight on Giuliani’s dramatic rise and fall — from leading New York through crisis to becoming a polarising figure in American politics.

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With inputs from Associate Press