GIULIANI: So, I’ve spent 33 years looking at this, watching how New York City can be transformed from “the rotting apple,” as was described by TIME magazine in the early nineties — where you had over 2,000 murders a year consistently — to the safest large city in America. Now, unfortunately, we’re going back in the wrong direction because of policies like bail reform, because we have DAs like Alvin Bragg and like Gonzalez, who are Soros funded, that choose not to execute their oath of office.
Think of the men and women that sends to our police officers when you say, “We are not gonna prosecute resisting arrest.” We now more than ever need to curb this outflow of migration from New York to places like Florida. That means making sure we end this war on our police, that means making sure that we’re not the highest taxed state in the country anymore and most overregulated state in the country. And it also making sure that we’re fighting for our kids and our parents’ rights to be their primary stakeholder in our kids’ education. That’s what I will do in Albany on day one, Buck.
CLAY: Andrew, you’ve got a really big challenge in New York with so many people relocating outside of the state. You kind of hinted at that, based on the tax rates that are going on there. I think also security factors in. How do you get people leaving New York to be willing to come back? Especially because many of the people leaving are those that would owe the most taxes —
GIULIANI: Yes.
CLAY: — and they’re going to, frankly, far freer and far more affordable states.
GIULIANI: Well, and, Clay, I know you and I have talked about this as of a few years ago you moved from a blue state to a red state, a state that actually looks at their budget… Think about this. New York’s budget is $220 billion. To compare it to Florida that has one million more people, Florida’s budget is $98 billion. That means they’re spending $5,000 per person in Florida versus over $11,000 in New York. We are just not efficient at all in New York — and, unfortunately, it just continues to go up and up and up.
So obviously the first thing is making sure you can reduce crime, because people first and foremost want to feel safe for their family. But then secondly, right after that, you have to look at the cost of living. The fact that we are now paying $5 a gallon gas, it’s gonna hurt those Northeast states far more than the Sunbelt states ’cause you have some New Yorkers that are looking at the approaching winter in a couple of months here and thinking, “Am I gonna have the money to heat my home or actually go to the grocery store?”
That’s gonna chase more and more people out. We need to make sure we’re doing everything we can from an economic standpoint, from a crime standpoint, from an education standpoint, and also from a health freedom standpoint. I know Clay, Buck, you guys have talked a whole lot about this. But the fact that we still have mandates in place in the State of New York and we have great New York heroes like our firefighters and our in ourselves that lost their job because they made a health decision is unconscionable. And these health decisions, these health mandates will go in the ash bin of history on day one of a Giuliani administration.
BUCK: We’re speaking to Andrew Giuliani, candidate for the governor’s mansion here in New York State, and it is primary day in New York State. So, obviously, people are go out right now casting their votes. With that in mind, Andrew, how do you stack up against the current governor — who didn’t win an election, just kind of ended up the governor — Kathy Hochul? Does she still have her vaccine necklace on?
GIULIANI: (laughing)
BUCK: (laughing)
GIULIANI: Yeah, you know, that’s one of the other things. I will never actually go into a church and ask people to be my “apostles.” What kind of deity complex does she have? I think she does still wear that vax necklace at times. I don’t know. I’m sure at some point they’ll say she needs to take it off and she’ll listen to her consultants. I mean, one of the things, guys, I really thought that it wasn’t possible for her to be as corrupt as Andrew Cuomo, but if we gave her the time she might get there.
You think about the first six months of her tenure. You already have a stadium deal her husband is profiting off of and then you have a lieutenant governor — really her first major personnel pick — who gets arrested for campaign finance fraud. So, we just can’t give Kathy Hochul no more time, certainly not if we’re gonna bring New York State back. I think this is very simple. Kathy Hochul does not care about the fact that crime is running out of control.
Not just in New York City but also in Rochester and Binghamton and Buffalo where they had murder rate highs last year. We need to make sure we are addressing the root problems and not playing politics. Kathy Hochul, the thing that she has done for New York right now is played politics. And I guess the only good thing that she’s done — which I guess it’s questionable even if it’s good because she’s been so bad — is the fact that she relieved Andrew Cuomo of his duties.
CLAY: Andrew, first of all, we appreciate you giving the time ’cause we know how busy you are here. But as you look towards the future with covid, we still got kids having to wear masks sometimes.
GIULIANI: Yes.
CLAY: It feels like Democrats might bring it back. Would you just basically say, “This is done” in New York? And how much are you hearing from people out there that they’re just over all this covid theater?
GIULIANI: One hundred percent. You know, my seven-month-old daughter Grace is traveling around with me today on the campaign trail. It’s stop and stop, and she’s by far the most charming Giuliani in the family. Rudy or myself do not compare to her. But I think about if she was only a couple of years older, what it would be like putting her on the school bus knowing that she would have to be in a mask all day — and I can’t imagine it, guys.
To me this is crazy. When you have a CDC director that is going out there and literally saying that this vaccine does not prevent transmission, then why is there a mandate on this at all? This should be everybody’s individual health choice. We should absolutely not be mandating masks on kids. I look at it, frankly, as child abuse — and I think the long-term effects, we won’t know about for a very long time in all this — and for me this is very simple. All of these mandates, the mask mandates, vaccine mandates, they become individual health choices the day that I take office. And all the mandates go in the trash on day one.
BUCK: We’re speaking to Andrew Giuliani. He’s running for governor, and the Republican primary is today in New York — well, the primary in general. Andrew, we’ve only got about 30, 40 seconds. I just want to give you the floor to tell folks… I know there are people listening all over New York State right now. We’ve got a fantastic New York-based audience. Obviously, I’m here in NYC. Your last pitch for them, sir.
GIULIANI: Well, you gotta get out and vote. Today is the day to fulfill our civic duty. If you want somebody who’s gonna go up to Albany and make sure that we can make New York safe again by making sure we end this war on our cops, who can give our parents the choice in education that they deserve — by having tax credits, by increasing the charter schools, by truly briefing our parents are the primary stakeholders in our kids’ education — if you want somebody that’s gonna make sure that health decisions should be yours and yours alone and not by a dictatorial governor, then come on out and vote for Andrew Giuliani today. You got eight hours ’til the polls close, so come on out and vote.
BUCK: Andrew, good luck to you, my friend. Clay and I appreciate making the time today. We’ll talk to you soon.
GIULIANI: Clay, Buck, as always, thank you for having me.