Embattled former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani says he has not ruled out having another crack at the job in future, and that there are “a lot of people” who would want him to run again.
The former Trump attorney told tabloid newspaper The New York Post that he was “not going to say never, ever, ever,” but that he was not currently considering another mayoral election campaign.
It comes as Giuliani continues to face the fallout from a defamation case against two election workers, to whom he now owes $150 million. A federal judge recently ordered him to hand over his Manhattan property along with a slew of other valuables to Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss.
The 80-year-old previously asked the court for an exemption for his Palm Beach condo, though a judge is yet to rule on whether it too will be handed to Freeman and Moss.
However, speaking to The Post on Sunday from his Florida residence, the cash-strapped former mayor was already mulling over a return to public service. “I’m not going to say never, ever, ever,” he said, adding that “there are a lot of people who want me to run for mayor,” but that it was currently “unlikely.”
In late September, New York City mayor Eric Adams was indicted on federal criminal charges of corruption. Investigations into Adams are ongoing, but a successful prosecution would leave a vacuum in the New York City leadership sphere.
Referencing the alleged corruption in the Adams administration, Giuliani told The Post that the other potential candidates for the mayorship are dangerously far-left.
“Everyone running for mayor looks like they’re from Red China. They don’t look American,” the he said. “I’m concerned about the city becoming a Democratic dictatorship… If you don’t have a Republican or independent mayor, you will have corruption at City Hall.”
Ted Goodman, Giuliani’s spokesperson and political advisor, said that the former mayor was “extremely upset over what’s happening to New York City” and that he would “never rule anything out.”
“After all, he served as the most successful mayor in the city’s history – lifting more people out of poverty and bringing down crime more than any other mayor in history,” Goodman told The Independent.
“Anyone who knows Mayor Rudy Giuliani knows that he’s not the type of guy to shy away from a fight, and he’s not the kind of man to sit idly by while New York City continues to flounder and sink further into the abyss.
“I am with the mayor on a regular basis, and when we are in New York, he is stopped each and every day by New Yorkers of all backgrounds begging him to come back to save the city. He poured so much of his own blood, sweat and tears to save the city and a vast majority of New Yorkers recognize his track record of success, even card-carrying Democrats.
“Now, he is focused on his hit livestream program, ‘America’s Mayor Live’ which is live every night across his social media platforms, but he would never rule anything out.”
Goodman added: “Let’s face it, if he were to do it, he’d become the odds-on favorite to anyone who actually knows New York and the people of this city. It’s a no-brainer."
Giuliani made a name for himself as a Mafia-busting federal prosecutor before serving as New York City mayor from 1994 to 2001. His action and leadership during the events of 9/11 earned the nickname “America’s mayor.”
However, after Donald Trump’s first administration – where he served as an informal cybersecurity advisor and later part of the former president’s legal team – he suffered a spectacular fall from grace.
Giuliani’s law license in the District of Columbia had been temporarily suspended since summer 2021, but following the fallout from the defamation case, he was permanently disbarred in February 2024.
He has also filed for bankruptcy, unsuccessfuly.
However, such setbacks have not stopped the former mayor from being an active and vocal advocate for Trump, appearing recently at the controversial rally at Madison Square Garden on October 27, during which he was greeted warmly by supporters.
