Rudy Giuliani endorsed fellow Republican Curtis Sliwa for mayor Monday night time, dealing a blow to unbiased Andrew Cuomo as he tries to construct crossover attraction to take out front-runner Zohran Mamdani.
“Right here’s my alternative: 100% Curtis Sliwa,” Giuliani, 81, mentioned on his X podcast whereas Sliwa appeared on the present.
The previous two-term mayor and Trump lawyer blasted Mamdani and Cuomo, the previous governor who misplaced a Democratic Get together major to Mamdani in June earlier than heading into the overall election campaigning as a reasonable different to the socialist front-runner.
Giuliani mentioned Cuomo “ran a horrible marketing campaign” within the Democratic major and “misplaced to a 33-year-old,” referring to Mamdani, the Queens assemblyman.
“He’s additionally a governor who resigned in shame,” Giuliani mentioned, referring to Cuomo stepping down as governor whereas dealing with a slew of sexual harassment accusations. Cuomo has denied the claims.
Giuliani tore into Cuomo for his administration’s controversial March 25, 2020, order that directed nursing houses to simply accept COVID-infected sufferers discharged from hospitals through the peak of the pandemic shutdown.
The coverage led to the “deaths of many, many, many aged individuals who have been put in nursing houses and didn’t belong there,” Giuliani claimed.
Giuliani mentioned Cuomo tried to deflect on his dealing with of the nursing dwelling controversy however pointed his finger on the digicam and mentioned, “Blame it on him!”
He additionally famous that it was Cuomo who was in workplace when the state accepted controversial reforms to its bail legal guidelines that critics mentioned made it simpler for repeat offenders to stroll free, solely to commit extra crimes.
And he blamed Giuliani for relaxed guidelines that make it simpler for convicted cop killers to get sprung by the state Parole Board — greater than 40 up to now eight years.
“The man who handed these legal guidelines is Andrew Cuomo,” Giuliani mentioned.
He lit into Mamdani, calling him an “avowed communist” and saying Mamdani and the Democratic Socialists of America “stand for all the pieces evil.”
“He prefers Islamic extremism over America. He prefers Marxist communism over America,” the previous mayor mentioned.
Giuliani mentioned Mamdani calling the New York Police Division “racist” is unforgivable, and disqualifying.
“You higher get in your knees and apologize for calling them racists! You bum,” he mentioned, and claimed that Mamdani “doesn’t belong in America” regardless that he acknowledged he’s a naturalized citizen.
Giuliani mentioned he’s gotten immense stress — even from Republicans and a few of his associates and mates — to endorse Cuomo over Sliwa in a bid to dam Mamdani from successful Metropolis Corridor.
However he mentioned it was higher to face on precept — regardless that he as soon as crossed social gathering traces to endorse Andrew Cuomo’s dad. In 1994, Giuliani backed then Democratic Gov. Mario Cuomo’s re-election bid over Republican challenger George Pataki, who went on to win the race.
Giuliani’s enthusiastic backing of Sliwa stands in distinction to his pal, President Trump, who has not endorsed Sliwa and mentioned the Republican nominee is “not precisely prime time.”
Giuliani, 81, remains to be in style amongst metropolis Republicans and older and extra reasonable to conservative metropolis voters — offering a lift to Sliwa’s marketing campaign and a setback for Cuomo to win crossover help from the best.
Sliwa was thrilled with Giuliani’s backing, calling him New York’s “biggest mayor” and vowing to be “Giuliani 2.0.”
Giuliani has additionally been mired in controversy whereas defending Trump.
Since 2020, Giuliani has confronted a myriad of authorized woes – together with felony prices out of Georgia and Arizona, disbarment as a lawyer and a $148 million defamation judgment – associated to his alleged efforts to undo Trump’s election loss to Joe Biden in 2020 and advance fraud claims.
Further reporting by Hannah Fierick
