It was a rare reunion on a radio show with both former Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former Gov. George Pataki recounting the Sept. 11 attacks and how they made a decision early on to work closely together and speak with one voice on big decisions. It’s something they noted was lacking during the recent COVID crisis when former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio never seemed to be on the same page. 

What You Need To Know

  • The former mayor and governor talked about how they worked closely together after the 9/11 attacks

  • They both noted how starkly that contrasts with how Cuomo and de Blasio operated during COVID

  • Giuliani said President Biden should not come to 9/11 memorial ceremony Saturday

“To me it was very disappointing to see the city and the state’s response to the COVID crisis," Pataki said. "We always talked about how in a crisis, you put aside any personal differences, political differences. You work together for the people. And when COVID hit New York, the mayor and the governor seemed to be doing the opposite publicly, on the same day.”

“We were fortunate," Giuliani said. "We were in the same political party. We knew each other. But I’m absolutely convinced that a man of the character of George Pataki, the same thing would have happened if de Blasio was sitting there. And it’s a tragedy that it didn’t happen. And people died as a result of it.”

But for all his talk about New Yorkers and the entire nation coming together after Sept. 11, Giuliani later showed more of the character people have come to associate with him in recent years. When asked a question about his client, former President Donald Trump, Giuliani attacked President Joe Biden for the situation in Afghanistan. 

“President Biden shouldn’t come here," Giuliani said. "He doesn’t belong here. President Biden made decisions that were reckless to the point of almost insanity. It would be as if I got down to ground zero and said take out the firefighters, all you civilians see if you can get yourselves out.”

Former police commissioner Bernie Kerik retold that now famous story about when they were riding up the West Side Highway with President Bush shortly after the attacks, and Bush noted how many New Yorkers had gathered on the sidewalks to hold up signs of unity and support, at which point Giuliani told him, "This is Manhattan’s West Side, Mr. President. None of these people voted for you.” Everyone laughed.