'Trump lawyer' Giuliani's son announces candidacy for New York Governor

Photo by Reuters

[Asia Economy Reporter Yujin Cho] Andrew Giuliani, son of Rudy Giuliani, former New York City mayor and personal lawyer and close aide to former U.S. President Donald Trump, has announced his candidacy for the New York gubernatorial election next year.

On the 18th (local time), Andrew updated his Twitter profile to "57th New York Governor Candidate" and shared a link to his campaign website.

Just hours after sharing a campaign video that day, he held a press conference and stated, "Now is a time for change. I grew up in New York, and New York is in my blood. I know what we can do and where we need to go."

He added, "The great chapter of New York is not yet complete. As governor, I will create the greatest comeback story ever," and "We can truly make New York a beacon of hope for the world."

In a recent interview with the New York Post, Andrew compared his potential contest against current Governor Andrew Cuomo to the legendary boxing title fight "Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier."

A former professional golfer, he is a political newcomer who has never held an elected office. His entire public service career consists of serving as a White House special assistant and deputy director of external affairs during the Trump administration.

Photo by ABC News

Andrew's announcement comes amid investigations into his father Rudy Giuliani over allegations including involvement in the "Ukraine scandal."

Andrew said, "My father is playing a role in this campaign. We had a long conversation last night, and I gained a lot of experience from him."

Known to have had a close relationship with former President Trump since his teenage years?playing golf together?and one of the few close aides who could freely enter the presidential office during his White House tenure, he told the NYT, "The president is a long-time friend, and I am honored to have worked for him."

However, it is uncertain whether Andrew will be able to secure former President Trump's official endorsement during the Republican primary.

Another 'pro-Trump' figure, Republican Congressman Lee Zeldin, has already declared his candidacy for New York governor and has raised $2.5 million (about 280 million KRW) in campaign funds within a month, showing strong performance.

According to two sources familiar with the matter who spoke to the NYT, former President Trump met with Andrew at Mar-a-Lago a few weeks ago and informed him that his support was "leaning toward Zeldin" regarding the New York gubernatorial race.

In response, Andrew reportedly assured Trump that if he could wait until the mid-July deadline for submitting election materials, he could demonstrate his competitiveness.

So far, three Republican candidates have declared their bids for New York governor: Congressman Zeldin, Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino, and Andrew Giuliani.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.