The Truth About Rudy Giuliani's COVID-19 Diagnosis
On Dec. 6, 2020, President Donald Trump shared news about his personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani. Trump tweeted, "@RudyGiuliani, by far the greatest mayor in the history of NYC, and who has been working tirelessly exposing the most corrupt election (by far!) in the history of the USA, has tested positive for the China Virus. Get better soon Rudy, we will carry on!!!"
As of writing, Giuliani has not commented on, or even confirmed, the positive coronavirus diagnosis himself, but considering the close personal and professional relationship he has with the president, it wouldn't be a stretch to assume that the former New York City mayor gave Trump his permission to share the news. New York Post reported that Giuliani appeared on the Fox News show Sunday Morning Futures on the same morning that Trump tweeted about him, where he shared updates on his quest to contest the 2020 election results on behalf of Trump. Giuliani has recently traveled to Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Arizona, building up his case and rallying support.
At this point, it is unclear if Giuliani is experiencing symptoms. Additionally, it is unknown if he plans to quarantine while he recovers or if he will continue traveling in his attempts to change the election outcome.
Rudy Giuliani has been seen not wearing a mask in public
CNN reached out to Rudy Giuliani for a comment about his coronavirus diagnosis, which he hadn't responded to at the time of this writing. Nevertheless, he is considered to be in the "high risk" group for coronavirus due to his age. Giuliani is 76 years old.
Unfortunately, he isn't the first person in the Giuliani family to contract coronavirus. His son Andrew Giuliani, who works for Donald Trump in the White House, announced his positive coronavirus diagnosis in November 2020, according to CNBC. Andrew tested positive shortly after he attended a press conference with his father, where many people reportedly did not wear masks.
Four days prior to his own diagnosis, the former New York City mayor was in Michigan for a hearing about the election results, sans mask, according to The Detroit News. He asked a city of Detroit employee, "Would you be comfortable taking your mask off so people can hear you more clearly?" She kept her mask on, but he sat next to Laura Cox, chairwoman of the Michigan Republican Party, who also didn't wear a mask.
It will certainly be interesting to see how this might impact the lawyer's continued efforts to contest the election. Just as we'd wish for anyone who contracts the virus, hopefully he has a swift and safe recovery.
Arizona is closing its legislature after Rudy Giuliani's mask-less trip to the state
Rudy Giuliani has been working and traveling a lot in the weeks since the 2020 election, attempting to try to find evidence of voter fraud. He reportedly tested negative twice for the virus preceding trips to Arizona, Michigan, and Georgia (via The Washington Post), where he was rallying support for the Trump campaign's cause, despite courts in each of those states refusing to hear any cases of voter fraud.
But because Giuliani had been traveling and spent so much time making his case without wearing a mask, Arizona has decided to shut down its legislature in the hope of not further spreading the virus. Legislatures in Michigan and Georgia will remain open, per the Post, despite some Republicans and committees having spent hours indoors with Giuliani, largely without masks.
The Trump administration told the Post that they were not concerned about people Giuliani came into contact with during his travels given that he tested positive after his return, though people who are asymptomatic can still spread the virus, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Rudy Giuliani says he's 'keeping up with everything'
After Donald Trump tweeted about Rudy Giuliani's COVID-19 diagnosis, the former New York City mayor also addressed it publicly himself. He tweeted, "Thank you to all my friends and followers for all the prayers and kind wishes. I'm getting great care and feeling good. Recovering quickly and keeping up with everything."
He's likely referring to "keeping up" with the Trump administration's legal battle to prove that there was voter fraud, despite a growing push from Republicans for Trump's team to stop their quest. Rusty Bowers, the Speaker of the House of Representatives of Arizona, where Giuliani was just visiting, said, "As a conservative Republican, I don't like the results of the presidential election. I voted for President Trump and worked hard to reelect him. But I cannot and will not entertain a suggestion that we violate current law to change the outcome of a certified election," per AZ Central.
If enthusiasm for overturning the election continues to wane, Giuliani might have time to rest up and focus on his health.