Giuliani, 81, on Ventilator at Florida Hospital as Pneumonia Worsens

Rudy Giuliani, the 81-year-old former New York City mayor, was placed on a ventilator at a Florida hospital this week but is now breathing on his own as he battles a serious case of pneumonia, his spokesman confirmed Monday.

Ted Goodman, Giuliani's spokesperson, wrote on social media that Giuliani remains in stable but critical condition, with his family and primary medical provider at his bedside. "He is now breathing on his own," Goodman wrote. Goodman attributed the severity of Giuliani's illness in part to prolonged exposure to dust and toxins at Ground Zero following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks — a factor that public health officials have long linked to elevated rates of respiratory disease among first responders and survivors who spent time at the site.

The hospital treating Giuliani has not been publicly identified by name, and no Florida health officials have commented on the case. Giuliani's legal residency shifted to Florida in recent years amid mounting financial and legal pressures, including a $148 million defamation judgment against him in Georgia and disbarment proceedings in New York. His presence in the state means any extended care would fall to the Florida hospital system — a network already strained during high-volume snowbird season in communities across Martin, St. Lucie and Indian River counties, where winter population surges regularly test intensive care capacity at hospitals including Cleveland Clinic Martin North in Stuart and Lawnwood Regional Medical Center in Fort Pierce.

Giuliani earned international recognition for his leadership in the immediate aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks, which killed nearly three thousand people. His reputation diminished sharply in subsequent years through a series of legal controversies, most prominently his role in efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results.

Goodman did not provide a timeline for Giuliani's expected recovery or discharge. No further statement from the former mayor's family had been released as of Monday evening.

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