NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� Former New York City Mayor is breathing on his own after being hospitalized with pneumonia and placed on a ventilator, his spokesperson said Monday.
Giuliani, 81, remains in critical but stable condition at a Florida hospital and is being monitored as a precautionary measure, spokesperson Ted Goodman said.
Goodman said Giuliani鈥檚 condition was exacerbated by restrictive airway disease attributed to his exposure to dust and toxins from the Sept. 11, 2001, attack on the World Trade Center.
, near Palm Beach, Florida, came after he was heard coughing Friday on his nightly online talk show and hoarsely told viewers that his voice was 鈥渁 little under the weather.鈥�
鈥淭his condition adds complications to any respiratory illness, and the virus quickly overwhelmed his body, requiring mechanical ventilation to maintain adequate oxygen and stabilize his condition,” Goodman said in a statement.
He described Giuliani as 鈥渢he ultimate fighter鈥� and said, 鈥渉e is winning this battle.鈥�
Giuliani鈥檚 family and primary medical provider are by the former mayor’s side, Goodman added. He said they thanked well-wishers for an 鈥渙utpouring of love and support.鈥�
鈥淭he mayor believes in the power of prayer, and we are feeling that strength today,鈥� Goodman said.
Giuliani鈥檚 eight-year tenure as the mayor of the nation’s largest city was punctuated by the 9/11 attack just months before he left office. He became celebrated as 鈥淎merica鈥檚 mayor鈥� for his leadership, knighted by Queen Elizabeth II and named Time magazine鈥檚 .
Giuliani, a Republican, later made an unsuccessful run for president and was an adviser to President Donald Trump, spearheading his efforts to stay in office after his 2020 election loss.
Last year, Trump said he was awarding Giuliani the .
Giuliani coughed as he began his nightly online show “America鈥檚 Mayor Live鈥� on Friday. As he spoke, he sounded more raspy than usual. Before launching into a commentary on the Iran war, he remarked: 鈥淢y voice is a little under the weather, so I won鈥檛 be able to speak as loudly as I usually do, but I鈥檒l get closer to the microphone.鈥�
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump called Giuliani 鈥渁 True Warrior, and the Best Mayor in the History of New York City, BY FAR.鈥�
鈥淲hat a tragedy that he was treated so badly by the Radical Left Lunatics, Democrats ALL 鈥� AND HE WAS RIGHT ABOUT EVERYTHING!” Trump wrote Sunday. “They cheated on the Elections, fabricated hundreds of stories, did anything possible to destroy our Nation, and now, look at Rudy. So sad!鈥�
As Trump鈥檚 personal attorney and adviser, Giuliani became a vocal proponent of the president’s allegations of fraud in the 2020 election, which was won by Democrat Joe Biden. Trump and his backers lost claiming fraud, and numerous , and of the election results turned up no signs of significant wrongdoing or error.
Two former Georgia election workers later won a $148 million defamation judgment against Giuliani. As they sought to collect the judgment, the former federal prosecutor was and this winter over the ownership of some of his assets.
Giuliani ultimately that let him keep his homes and various belongings, including prized World Series rings, in exchange for unspecified compensation and a promise to stop speaking ill of the ex-election workers.
was previously hospitalized last September after suffering a fractured vertebra and other injuries in a car crash in
A native New Yorker, Giuliani was elected mayor in 1993 after serving as one of the nation鈥檚 highest-profile federal prosecutors, taking on mobsters and crooked Wall Street traders.
He ran for the U.S. Senate in 2000 but abandoned his race against Hillary Rodham Clinton after being diagnosed with prostate cancer.
In 2007, Giuliani ran for president. Buoyed by his post-9/11 popularity, he started as the front-runner for the Republican nomination. But that was short-lived. He withdrew from the race after struggling in the primaries amid GOP concerns about his past support for abortion rights, gay rights and gun control, and questions about his personal life and business ties to the Middle East.
He toyed with running for other offices before pivoting to political commentary.
In 2016, Trump leaned on Giuliani鈥檚 political acumen and loyalty and put him to work as a surrogate leading attacks on Clinton, his Democratic rival. After Trump won, Giuliani continued as his attack dog, even traveling to Ukraine to seek damaging information about Biden鈥檚 son Hunter.
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