Giuliani criticizes NYC leadership: ‘They’re killing this city’

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani criticized New York City leadership Friday amid the coronavirus pandemic, asserting that those in charge are “killing this city.”

During an interview with CNN’s Chris Cuomo Friday, Giuliani, President Trump’s personal lawyer, said that “we’ve got to move forward” with reopening major cities, adding that the mortality rate for COVID-19 has reduced to “1 percent or lower right now.”

On Friday, 861 new cases were recorded in New York, with one recent fatality, according to a New York Times database. The latest 14-day tally showed the death rate in the city had fallen by 7 percent.

“The reason we closed the country is because that we felt the hospitals were going to be overloaded with patients — that they couldn’t handle — it would crack out medical system,” Giuliani said, adding, “our hospitals are not overloaded.”

New York state was one of the first in the U.S. to get hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic back in early March. New York City itself suffered the largest amount of deaths due to coronavirus in the country at more than 33,000. However, since then, stringent lockdown and mitigation measures have been put in place to stem the spread of the virus. 

New York has reopened relatively slowly in comparison to other states in the country. 

Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) announced earlier this week that the city will allow indoor dining at the end of September at 25 percent capacity. 

But Chris Cuomo, bother of Andrew Cuomo,  pushed back against the former mayor.

“Rudy, you would have done the same thing that they did in New York during this,” Cuomo said. 

“If you had the information that the numbers were going this way and people needed to separate, and be their own prophylaxis,” Cuomo said.

The former mayor said he would not manage the city the way it’s operating now.

“I wouldn’t keep the city closed as long as they keep it closed … I think what they’re doing to the city could be fatal to the city.”

Giuliani has been outspoken about Mayor Bill de Blasio’s (D) handling of the coronavirus pandemic, calling for the removal of the mayor in June.

“They’re overdoing it; they’re overdoing it now. You go talk to the people in these restaurants, and they’re leaving in droves,” Giuliani said.

This week, over 160 New York City business executives penned an open letter to de Blasio’s criticizing his leadership and management during the COVID-19 pandemic.

While official reports are unknown about just how many businesses have shuttered in the city during coronavirus lockdowns, a nonprofit group called the Partnership for New York City estimates nearly one-third of the city’s 240,000 small businesses may never reopen post-pandemic.