Ex-New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani 'critical' in hospital as Donald Trump blasts 'tragedy'

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani has reportedly been rushed to hospital and is said to be in "critical but stable condition." Giuliani's spokesperson took to X to share the news, calling for prayers for "America's Mayor". " Mayor Rudy Giuliani is currently in the hospital , where he remains in critical but stable condition. Mayor Giuliani is a fighter who has faced every challenge in his life with unwavering strength, and he's fighting with that same level of strength as we speak. We do ask that you join us in prayer for America's Mayor Rudy Giuliani ," Ted Goodman wrote on X at 6:46 p.m. The cause of Giuliani's condition remains unclear, as does the precise reason for his hospitalisation. Giuliani, 81, served as New York City's mayor from 1994 to 2001, reports the Mirror US . Just prior to his hospitalisation, Giuliani hosted his online programme, "America's Mayor Live," on Friday evening from Palm Beach, Florida. As he opened the show, he coughed and his voice sounded raspier than normal. He remarked: "My voice is a little under the weather , so I won't be able to speak as loudly as I usually do, but I'll get closer to the microphone." In recent years, Giuliani forged a close bond with President Trump, at one point acting as his personal legal adviser during his first presidential term. Trump took to Truth Social to share news of Giuliani's hospitalisation, praising the former mayor for being the "best" in the history of the Big Apple, while simultaneously rehashing his baseless election fraud claims. "Our fabulous Rudy Giuliani, a True Warrior, and the Best Mayor in the History of New York City, BY FAR, has been hospitalized, and is in critical condition. "What a tragedy that he was treated so badly by the Radical Left Lunatics, Democrats ALL - AND HE WAS RIGHT ABOUT EVERYTHING! They cheated on the Elections, fabricated hundreds of stories, did anything possible to destroy our Nation, and now, look at Rudy. So sad! President DONALD J. TRUMP," Trump wrote at 7:17 p.m. In 2020, Giuliani was appointed by Trump to lead lawsuits concerning alleged voting irregularities in the presidential election. The former mayor and US Attorney for the Southern District of New York was disbarred in 2024 following years of legal troubles arising from false claims he made in the wake of the 2020 election. A Manhattan appeals court delivered the ruling after finding that Giuliani had repeatedly made false statements regarding former President Donald Trump's 2020 election defeat. Giuliani had previously had his law licence suspended in 2021 for making the same claims. In 2023, Giuliani was ordered to pay $148 million in total to two Georgia election workers he falsely accused of fraud, after being found liable in the defamation lawsuit for spreading the president's unfounded claims following the 2020 election. Shortly afterwards, Giuliani filed for bankruptcy. Court documents revealed he owed millions of dollars in legal fees and unpaid taxes, according to BBC reports at the time.