Rudy Giuliani has been released from the intensive care unit but continues to recover in the hospital following a bout of pneumonia. The former New York City mayor, 81, contracted the respiratory illness on Sunday, feeling unwell upon returning from a trip to Paris.
A day later, it was revealed that Giuliani had previously been diagnosed with restrictive airway disease, a condition his spokesman linked to his proximity to Ground Zero on September 11, 2001, and in the days and weeks after. This condition can make respiratory illnesses like pneumonia more life-threatening. After being rushed to the hospital and placed on a ventilator, a Catholic priest was called to perform last rites at Good Samaritan Medical Center in West Palm Beach, Florida.
However, Giuliani soon began breathing independently and was removed from the ventilator, according to a well-placed source. He was even able to communicate with his children, Caroline and Andrew Giuliani. By Wednesday night, he was out of the ICU, as shared by his spokesman Ted Goodman on X.
"The mayor and his family appreciate the outpouring of love and prayers sent his way," Goodman posted. "Mayor Giuliani - the man who took down the Mafia, saved New York City and ran toward the towers on September 11th - is the same fighter he's always been, and he's winning this fight. The power of prayer is working. The mayor feels it. We feel it. Please keep them coming for America's Mayor, Rudy Giuliani."
Giuliani's Political Legacy and Health Challenges
Giuliani was elected New York's mayor in 1993 after serving as a high-profile prosecutor, taking on mobsters and crooked Wall Street traders. He was celebrated for a widespread crackdown on crime using the "broken windows" philosophy and implementing the controversial stop-and-frisk program. He ran for the Senate in 2000 but abandoned his race against Hillary Clinton after being diagnosed with prostate cancer.
"Mayor Rudy Giuliani was the most transformative figure in the history of NY City politics," wrote former deputy FBI director Dan Bongino. "He pulled off an economic and public safety miracle in a relatively short amount of time, and the city rose from the dead. I worked for the NYPD during the end of his second term. It was the honor of a lifetime."
His leadership during the September 11 terrorist attacks catapulted him to the national spotlight. Giuliani was just two blocks away when the first tower fell and oversaw the cleanup of the collapsed World Trade Center. He made frequent visits to Ground Zero in the first three months after the attack, rarely wearing a mask.
Applying for 9/11 Health Benefits
The former mayor is now applying for free medical care through a federal program for emergency workers and others exposed to toxins after the 9/11 attacks, according to The New York Times. "I'm proud to represent him and get him the health care he deserves," said attorney Michael Barasch, who is representing Giuliani in his application to enroll in the World Trade Center Health Program "so he can enjoy the same benefits of healthcare at no cost to people who have been certified with 9/11 illnesses."
More than 152,000 people have enrolled in the World Trade Center Health Program, which pays for medical research and provides free care to those affected by the attacks. Beneficiaries have access to specialists in 9/11-related illnesses, without copayments or deductibles. In the past year, the program paid out over 600,000 medical claims at a cost of nearly $350 million, mostly for cancers and respiratory ailments.
Giuliani had spoken out in support of the measure in 2010, criticizing fellow Republicans for their opposition. In recent years, he became a staunch ally of President Donald Trump, campaigning to overturn the 2020 election results. He gave an infamous speech outside a Four Seasons landscaping business in Pennsylvania as Trump tried to claw back the presidency.
Giuliani was pardoned by Trump in November 2023 for his role in trying to overturn the election. However, his legal battles have been costly, leading him to file for bankruptcy with staggering debts of $153 million owed to creditors in 2023, including two Georgia election workers he defamed. If certified by the World Trade Center Health Program, Giuliani or his family may also seek compensation from the federal September 11th Victim Compensation Fund.
