Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani endorsed Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa for Mayor of New York City earlier this week in a recorded audio message sent to Republican voters in the city. Giuliani’s endorsement came days after National File exposed the anti-Trump views held by Sliwa’s primary opponent, Fernando Mateo.
According to the New York Post, “Giuliani referred to Sliwa as ‘my great friend,’” and praised Sliwa for his efforts to help Giuliani’s original bid for mayor. “When I ran for mayor, Curtis and the Guardian Angels were there to help me win and they were there to help me reduce crime and make our city livable again,” Giulaini said in the audio recording. “We need Curtis,” said Giuliani, before calling him “the right man at the right time in the right place.”
On Twitter, Giuliani added, “I’ve endorsed Curtis Sliwa for #NYCMAYOR.” He added, “Make sure you vote for him on June 22nd or early vote starting on Saturday. He is the one who can make NYC safe again.”
I’ve endorsed Curtis Sliwa for #NYCMAYOR. Make sure you vote for him on June 22nd or early vote starting on Saturday. He is the one who can make NYC safe again. pic.twitter.com/pMGTPE4gca
— Rudy W. Giuliani (@RudyGiuliani) June 10, 2021
The endorsement appears to have come after National File resurfaced anti-Trump marks made by Mateo. In a radio interview recorded earlier this year and first unearthed by New York Young Republican Club President Gavin Wax, who also endorsed Sliwa, Mateo referred to President Donald Trump as “arrogant” and said there are aspects of the 45th President’s personality that troubled him for years.
“You know what? I knew that Donald Trump had issues… He had bad issues and he had good issues,” said Mateo. “The good issues were the economy, he kept us out of a war, you know he basically helped the brown and black people probably more than any other president that I know of, but you know what? He was arrogant. He didn’t have humility. He was not a president for all the people.”
Here is the so called "Pro-Trump" candidate @MateotheMayor in the NYC Mayoral race trashing Trump a few months ago.
"He has issues"
"He was arrogant. He didn't have humility. He wasn't a President for all the people."
The only choice for Republicans is @CurtisSliwa. pic.twitter.com/C8o0G7vhyO
— Gavin Mario Wax (@GavinWax) June 5, 2021
Earlier in the interview, Mateo praised the mass amnesty program championed by Republicans in the 1980s as having “saved so many lives” and seemingly advocated an open door policy for illegal immigration by saying he would reach out “to every country, to every city, and I will invite them to come to New York because we will turn the page.”
Supposed "pro-Trump" New York Mayoral candidate @MateotheMayor in February praised Ronald Reagan for his mass amnesty of illegal immigrants, and said that if he was Mayor that he would encourage everyone in the world to come to NYC… pic.twitter.com/ivtoO2pkDN
— Jack Hadfield (@JackHadders) June 6, 2021
The Giuliani family appears to be committed to New York politics. Giulaini’s son, Andrew Giuliani, announced a bid for the governor’s mansion against the embattled Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Prior to his run, Andrew Giuliani spent four years in the Trump administration serving as a White House aide.