President Donald Trump pledged to award former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani the Presidential Medal of Freedom after he was injured in a car crash in Manchester, New Hampshire, on Saturday, immediately after helping a domestic violence victim.
“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. Thank you for your attention to this matter,” said President Trump on X.
Giuliani, who had been Trump’s legal counselor during his first administration, was traveling southbound on I-93 in Manchester, NH, with his driver, Theodore Goodman of Michigan, when a woman flagged them down just south of Exit 9N.
Goodman and Giuliani stopped to help the woman, who told them that she had been the victim of domestic violence. At around 9:00 p.m., Goodman called the police to report the domestic violence incident. Giuliani and Goodman waited with the woman for the police to arrive and provided officers with witness statements.
After speaking with officers, Giuliani and Goodman exited the highway and re-entered, traveling northbound.
Almost directly across from where police were dealing with the reported domestic violence incident, a driver in a Honda HR-V, Lauren Kemp, 19, of Concord, NH, allegedly struck Guliani and Goodman from behind.
NH State Police troopers who were already dealing with the domestic violence situation responded to the crash and assisted those involved.
Kemp, Goodman, and Giuliani all suffered non-life-threatening injuries and were transported by ambulance to a local hospital.
The crash caused an hour-long closure of both sides of the interstate while police investigated the incident.
Kemp is not believed to be involved in the domestic violence incident, and police are investigating whether distraction or curiosity about the initial scene were factors in the crash.
