Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, a polarizing American political figure who rose to global prominence for his leadership after the September 11, 2001 terror attacks, is in critical but stable condition at a hospital and has begun recovering from pneumonia after relying on mechanical ventilation to stabilize his health, according to his spokesman.
Ted Goodman, Giuliani’s communications director, released an update on the social platform X confirming that the 81-year-old is now breathing independently, with his family and primary care physician by his side throughout his recovery. Goodman explained that the former mayor has lived with restrictive airway disease for more than two decades, a chronic condition directly linked to his exposure to toxic dust and smoke during the response to the 9/11 attacks, when he was at Ground Zero coordinating rescue and recovery efforts.
“The virus quickly overwhelmed his body, requiring mechanical ventilation to maintain adequate oxygen and stabilize his condition,” Goodman said in the statement. “But the ultimate fighter is now winning this battle.”
The long-term health toll of the 9/11 attacks has been well-documented by public health researchers, who estimate that illnesses caused by toxic exposure at the World Trade Center site have now killed twice as many people as died in the attacks themselves over the 25 years since the tragedy. First responders, residents, and recovery workers across New York continue to struggle with chronic respiratory illnesses, cancers, and other conditions linked to the disaster.
Giuliani’s hospitalization was first announced publicly this past Sunday, when his team confirmed he was in critical condition but did not immediately share details about the underlying cause of his health decline.
Once celebrated as “America’s Mayor” for his steady response to the 9/11 attacks, Giuliani was awarded an honorary knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II in 2002 in recognition of his leadership. His second mayoral term ended in December 2001, and he later mounted an unsuccessful bid for the Republican presidential nomination. He reinvented his political career as one of the earliest and most prominent allies of former President Donald Trump, backing Trump’s 2016 presidential run before becoming his personal lawyer.
In the years following the 2020 U.S. presidential election, Giuliani became a central figure in spreading baseless claims that the election was stolen from Trump by Joe Biden. A civil defamation jury later ordered him to pay $148 million in damages to two Georgia election workers he falsely accused of ballot fraud. He was subsequently disbarred in New York, stripped of his license to practice law, and filed for bankruptcy as he faced the massive legal penalties.
Trump, who has repeated his own unsubstantiated claims of widespread 2020 election fraud, issued a social media post expressing sympathy for Giuliani, claiming the former mayor had been unfairly targeted by Democrats. “They cheated on the Elections, fabricated hundreds of stories, did anything possible to destroy our Nation, and now, look at Rudy. So sad!” Trump wrote.
This latest health crisis is not the first time Giuliani has been treated for serious injuries in recent months. Last September, he was seriously hurt when the vehicle he was riding in was hit from behind in New Hampshire. He suffered a fractured thoracic vertebra, multiple cuts and bruises, and injuries to his left arm and lower leg following the crash.