The former mayor of New York, Rudy Giuliani, returned to breathing without the aid of equipment after being hospitalized with pneumonia and subjected to mechanical ventilation, his spokesman said on Monday, 29.
Giuliani, 81, remains in critical but stable condition at a hospital in Florida, where he remains under precautionary monitoring, according to spokesman Ted Goodman.
According to Goodman, the condition was worsened by a restrictive airway disease associated with Giuliani’s exposure to dust and toxins released after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center.
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The hospitalization occurred near Palm Beach, Florida, after Giuliani appeared coughing during his nightly program broadcast online on Friday, 1st. At the time, he told viewers that his voice was “not very good”.
“This condition aggravates any respiratory illness, and the virus quickly overwhelmed his system, requiring mechanical ventilation to maintain adequate oxygen and stabilize his condition,” Goodman said in a statement. The spokesman described Giuliani as “the ultimate fighter” and said he “is winning this battle.”
According to Goodman, family members and the doctor in charge accompany Giuliani at the hospital. He also stated that the family was grateful for the expressions of support received. “The mayor believes in the power of prayer, and we are feeling that strength today,” he declared.
From ‘America’s Mayor’ to Trump Ally
Giuliani’s eight years as mayor of New York were marked by the September 11 attacks, which occurred just a few months before the end of his term. He gained fame as “America’s Mayor” for his leadership, was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II and named “Person of the Year” by Time.
A Republican, Giuliani ran unsuccessfully for president of the United States and later became a close ally of the country’s current president, Donald Trump, leading efforts to challenge the result of the 2020 presidential election. Last year, Trump said he would award Giuliani the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
During the program “America’s Mayor Live”, broadcast on Friday, Giuliani coughed as he began the broadcast and spoke in a hoarser voice than usual. Before commenting on the war in Iran, he stated: “My voice is a little weak, so I won’t be able to speak as loud as I usually do, but I will get closer to the microphone.”
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In a post in Truth Social, Trump called Giuliani “a true warrior and, by far, the best mayor in the history of New York City.”
“What a tragedy that he was treated so badly by the radical left lunatics, all Democrats – AND HE WAS RIGHT ABOUT EVERYTHING!” Trump wrote on Sunday the 3rd. “They rigged the election, invented hundreds of stories, did everything possible to destroy our nation, and now look at Rudy. So sad!”
Accusations of electoral fraud and legal problems
As Trump’s personal lawyer and adviser, Giuliani became a leading defender of the former president’s claims of voter fraud made after Democrat Joe Biden’s victory in 2020. The allegations were dismissed in dozens of lawsuits, and audits and recounts found no significant evidence of wrongdoing.
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Two former Georgia election officials later won a defamation lawsuit against Giuliani, winning $148 million in damages. During the process of collecting the amount, he was found guilty of contempt and faced a trial involving part of his assets.
Giuliani struck a deal that allowed him to keep real estate and personal effects, including World Series rings, in exchange for undisclosed financial compensation and a promise to stop attacking former election officials.
In September last year, Giuliani was also hospitalized after suffering a fractured vertebra and other injuries in a car accident in New Hampshire.
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Born in New York, Giuliani was elected mayor in 1993 after serving as one of the country’s highest-profile federal prosecutors, taking on mobsters and crooked Wall Street brokers. He ran for a Senate seat in 2000, but abandoned his campaign against Hillary Rodham Clinton after being diagnosed with prostate cancer.
In 2007, Giuliani launched his candidacy for president, driven by the popularity gained after September 11th. Despite starting the race as the favorite for the Republican nomination, he abandoned the race after facing difficulties in the primaries and internal party criticism related to his positions on abortion, gay rights and gun control, in addition to questions about his personal life and business in the Middle East.
After leaving electoral politics, he began working as a political commentator. In 2016, Trump used his influence and loyalty as a spokesman and political ally, tasking him with attacking Hillary Clinton during the presidential campaign. After the Republican victory, Giuliani continued to be an aggressive defender of Trump, including traveling to Ukraine in search of compromising information about Hunter Biden, son of Joe Biden, then the Democratic candidate.
