Published on: Aug 13, 2025 06:42 am IST
Edward Coristine, aka Big Balls, who was beaten up at a late-night carjacking attack in Washington, DC, could get the prestigious Presidential Medal of Freedom
Former DOGE staffer Edward Coristine, aka Big Balls, who was beaten up at a late-night carjacking attack in Washington, DC, could get the prestigious Presidential Medal of Freedom, the White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt hinted. The highest civilian honor has been awarded to historic figures like Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr, and Mother Teresa.
Leavitt was asked about the honor by MAGA pundit Benny Johnson. He spoke about his personal experience with violence in DC and thanked the press secretary for President Donald Trump’s directive to deploy the National Guard in the capital.
Johnson asked if Big Balls would get a Presidential Medal of Freedom in view of his ‘heroic actions just a few blocks from this building’.
“Perhaps it’s something he would consider,” Leavitt replied.
Coristine was assaulted around 3 AM on a Sunday in the city’s Logan Circle neighborhood by a group of teenagers attempting to carjack him and a woman whom police identified as his significant other, according to authorities. President Trump and former DOGE boss Elon Musk slammed the attack.
Big Balls, who earlier this year worked with Musk to cut federal bureaucracy, now holds a position with the Social Security Administration.
Information on suspects
A 15-year-old boy and a girl were arrested and remain in juvenile detention. DC Metro Police also released two photos of a third suspect. They are yet to be identified.
Republican Senator Mike Lee, meanwhile, shared an AI-generated video depicting Trump placing the Medal of Freedom around Coristine’s neck. Addressing the attack on Coristine, the president had said that he was ‘very badly hurt’ and ‘beat up by a bunch of thugs in DC’.
“We just almost lost a young man, a beautiful, handsome guy that got the hell knocked out of him the night before last. I’m going to call him now. He was left dripping in blood. He thought he was dead with a broken nose and concussion. Can’t believe that he’s alive,” Trump said at the time.
