Rudy Giuliani: 'Compared to Biden and Pelosi, I'm a phenom'


Here's a statement you don't hear from a close associate of the president of the United States every day.
"I am a high functioning human being able to outwork people half my age," Rudy Giuliani, President Trump's personal attorney, told New York Magazine in a piece published Monday. "Compared to Biden and Pelosi, I'm a phenom."
This statement came in response to a story focusing on how Giuliani's phone usage continues to baffle reporters, who question not only his frequent accidental calls, but also his tendency to send messages apparently meant for someone else or like his own texts, including ones sent a full day prior; in one case, he even disliked one of his own messages.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"He once liked a question I sent him about him being accused of illegal lobbying, and then he didn't respond to the question about lobbying," a confused reporter recounted. Another reporter recalled, "I remember one time he gave his own text a thumbs-down but then promptly switched it to a thumbs-up."
The piece also addresses questions over whether there has been "some kind of decline" on Giuliani's part, prompting this "high functioning human being" response from him, as well as denials from Giuliani associates. "I have to tell you, in sitting with him and going through these details, names, times, places, all the stuff that he has collected since last year, I can tell you he doesn't miss a beat," former NYPD commissioner Bernard Kerik said. "There is no decline."
With one a self-declared "very stable genius" and another a self-declared "high functioning human being," Trump and Giuliani may be a match made in heaven.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
Film reviews: The Phoenician Scheme, Bring Her Back, and Jane Austen Wrecked My Life
Feature A despised mogul seeks a fresh triumph, orphaned siblings land with a nightmare foster mother, and a Jane fan finds herself in a love triangle
-
Music reviews: Tune-Yards and PinkPantheress
Feature "Better Dreaming" and "Fancy That"
-
Withdrawing 529 plan funds for college? Here's what to know.
the explainer Maximize the amount you have stashed away for your education
-
Elon Musk slams Trump's 'pork-filled' signature bill
speed read 'Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong,' Musk posted on X
-
Depleted FEMA struggling as hurricane season begins
speed read FEMA has lost a third of its workforce amid DOGE cuts enforced by President Donald Trump
-
White House tackles fake citations in MAHA report
speed read A federal government public health report spearheaded by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was rife with false citations
-
Judge blocks push to bar Harvard foreign students
speed read Judge Allison Burroughs sided with Harvard against the Trump administration's attempt to block the admittance of international students
-
Trump's trade war whipsawed by court rulings
Speed Read A series of court rulings over Trump's tariffs renders the future of US trade policy uncertain
-
Elon Musk departs Trump administration
speed read The former DOGE head says he is ending his government work to spend more time on his companies
-
Trump taps ex-personal lawyer for appeals court
speed read The president has nominated Emil Bove, his former criminal defense lawyer, to be a federal judge
-
US trade court nullifies Trump's biggest tariffs
speed read The US Court of International Trade says Trump exceeded his authority in imposing global tariffs