Rudy Giuliani falsely claims that 'people don't die' of COVID-19 anymore

Rudy Giuliani.
(Image credit: Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)

Rudy Giuliani, President Trump's personal lawyer and the former mayor of New York City, told a crowd in Philadelphia on Monday that people are no longer dying of the coronavirus — a statement that is not at all true.

Giuliani made the outrageous claim during a Columbus Day celebration with Italian American Trump supporters. "People don't die of this disease anymore," he said. "Young people don't die at all. Middle-aged people die very little. And even elderly people have a 1 percent chance of dying."

At least 214,000 Americans of all ages have died of the coronavirus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that in the last seven days, more than 4,886 Americans have died, including 141 people in Pennsylvania.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

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.

Sign up

The Philadelphia event did not follow CDC guidelines — it was held inside, in a crowded room where people did not follow social distancing precautions, HuffPost reports. Giuliani, who also flouted medical advice and did not wear a mask, has spent a considerable amount of time in Pennsylvania, a battleground state. On Saturday, he spoke to about 200 people on a sidewalk in Scranton, where he made fun of Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden for wearing a mask. Face coverings are "not science," Giuliani proclaimed. "It's political bullsh-t. It's worse than that. It's intended to scare people."

To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.