Rudy Giuliani was taken off a ventilator by Tuesday and is now breathing on his own after being hospitalized with severe breathing issues, according to people close to him. He remains in critical but stable condition.
Dr. Maria Ryan said Giuliani began feeling ill after returning from a trip to Paris, and that his breathing deteriorated to the point that he needed hospitalization and ventilator support. By Tuesday, doctors had improved his condition enough to remove the tube, and he was able to speak.
Ryan said the illness turned critical quickly enough that a priest was called to his bedside to perform last rites. She said she expects him to make a full recovery. “He’s a fighter,” Ryan said, adding that he had a priest come anoint him when he was in such serious condition. She also said prayers from around him had helped, calling it “like a miracle” and saying, “This guy’s got 9 lives, today he’s doing much better.”
Giuliani, 81, has faced a number of health challenges in recent years. A spokesperson said he was exposed to debris while responding at Ground Zero after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, and that the exposure later led to a diagnosis of restrictive airway disease. His team had previously said he was in critical but stable condition.
Ted Goodman echoed that update in a video shared on X, saying Giuliani was “breathing on his own” and in “critical but stable condition,” and calling him “the ultimate fighter.” The immediate question now is whether he can keep improving without another setback after a scare serious enough to put him on a ventilator in the first place.
