Rudy Giuliani States He’s ‘Feeling Good’ After Positive COVID-19 Test
NEW YORK — Rudy Giuliani became the latest member of President Donald Trump’s circle to test positive for coronavirus, the commander in chief announced Sunday, and the former Big Apple mayor stated that he’s doing well.
“Thank you to all my friends and followers for all the prayers and kind wishes. I’m getting great care and feeling good,” Giuliani tweeted Sunday night. “Recovering quickly and keeping up with everything.”
He was exhibiting some symptoms and was admitted Sunday to Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington, D.C., The Associated Press reported, citing an unnamed source.
Giuliani, 76, did not answer a message requesting comment.
It was not immediately known whether he had shown virus symptoms or what his plans for a possible quarantine were.
He was doing fine as of Sunday evening, according to his son Andrew Giuliani.
“My Dad @RudyGiuliani is resting, getting great care and feeling well,” tweeted the younger Giuliani, an aide to Trump. “Thank you to all the friends who have reached out concerned about his well being.”
While both Giuliani and Trump are known for nearly nonstop shocking statements, the president’s announcement earlier Sunday floored the country.
“@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,” Trump tweeted, using a bigoted term for coronavirus. “Get better soon Rudy, we will carry on!!!”
Prior to Trump’s late-afternoon tweet, Giuliani recorded an episode of his Sunday WABC radio show from his Washington home, according to a producer for the station.
Giuliani told Bloomberg TV in October he had been taking hydroxychloroquine, a malaria drug Trump has been promoting as a treatment for COVID-19.
But throughout the pandemic, he has echoed Trump’s criticism of lockdown measures such as business closures and travel restrictions.
” Democrats want to paralyze us, I think in part, because they want a bad economy,” Giuliani said in October.
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio’s office reacted to Giuliani’s diagnosis as a cautionary tale.
“Rudy is seeing firsthand how dangerous his rhetoric and denialism is,” de Blasio’s spokesman Bill Neidhardt said in a statement. “Wear a mask, socially distance and for good measure, don’t be a vile racist.”
Sunday’s news punctuated a rough stretch for the president’s personal lawyer.
Since Joe Biden was declared president-elect after the Nov. 3 election, Giuliani has been spearheading Trump’s desperate, unsuccessful effort to overturn the results in court.
Last week, Giuliani traveled to Georgia and Michigan, where he met indoors with state lawmakers. He reportedly shunned a mask during the meetings. Following a Nov. 25 meeting with Republicans in Pennsylvania, two state senators said they tested positive for coronavirus, according to The Wall Street Journal. Giuliani didn’t use a mask at that meeting, either.
That was just the latest known example of the ex-mayor being in close proximity to confirmed coronavirus cases.
After he joined the debate preparation for Trump in September, fellow participant Chris Christie, the former New Jersey governor, tested positive for coronavirus.
While Trump was released after a weekend of top-of-the-line COVID-19 care at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Christie was hospitalized for a week, illustrating the wide-ranging possible effects the virus can have on older people.
Andrew Giuliani had a positive test result in November.
The White House has come under strong criticism for ignoring safety protocols during the outbreak. Trump’s own coronavirus diagnosis followed a Sept. 29 White House ceremony for his Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett, where guests were seen with their faces uncovered and sitting in close quarters. A number of other high-profile politicos tested positive after the event.
Even as the outbreak continues on a nasty surge through the holidays, the White House and State Department are reportedly planning indoor gatherings over the coming weeks.
The recent effort to overturn the election has led to a series of embarrassing moments for the former mayor of New York, including a bizarre press conference outside a landscaping business in Philadelphia and another appearance, in Washington in which hair dye appeared to drip down his face. He was also mocked after a sound resembling flatulence was heard as he spoke at an election hearing in Michigan last Wednesday.
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Daily News staff writer Chris Sommerfeldt contributed to this story.
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