9/11 anniversary: Rudy Giuliani says Biden should stay away from New York over Afghanistan exit

The former New York City mayor said the US president should not attend a memorial event because of his ‘reckless’ withdrawal from Afghanistan

Others at a September 11 commemoration event in Manhattan, including former governor George Pataki, stressed the importance of political ‘unity’

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Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani speaks about the 20th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks, during an appearance on a radio show in Manhattan. Photo: Reuters

Published: 11:51am, 11 Sep 2021Updated: 4:55pm, 13 Sep 2021

Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani on Friday warned US President Joe Biden to stay away from the city during this weekend’s 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, claiming the commander in chief is a persona non grata because of his recent withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan.

Giuliani delivered the harsh message for Biden at a 9/11 commemoration event in Manhattan, where other speakers, including former New York governor George Pataki, had repeatedly stressed the importance of political “unity” ahead of the solemn anniversary.

But the hot-headed former GOP mayor could not hold back when the New York Daily News asked what he thought of Biden coming to town on Saturday to attend an anniversary memorial at ground zero.

“Biden shouldn’t come here. He doesn’t belong here,” Giuliani said during the event at WABC Radio’s studio in Midtown Manhattan. “Biden made a decision that was reckless to the point of almost insanity … I mean, President Biden did probably one of the most reckless acts in American history, and then he continues it with more and more, and he’s putting us through hell.”

A White House spokesman did not return a request for comment.

Biden’s troop drawdown has prompted intense criticism from Republicans since 13 US service members and dozens of Afghan civilians were killed in a suicide bombing outside Kabul’s airport last month amid frenzied efforts to get Americans out of the country by an August 31 deadline.

9/11 anniversary: Rudy Giuliani says Biden should stay away from New York over Afghanistan exit

The former New York City mayor said the US president should not attend a memorial event because of his ‘reckless’ withdrawal from Afghanistan Others at a September 11 commemoration event in Manhattan, including former governor George Pataki, stressed the importance of political ‘unity’

The former New York City mayor said the US president should not attend a memorial event because of his ‘reckless’ withdrawal from Afghanistan

Others at a September 11 commemoration event in Manhattan, including former governor George Pataki, stressed the importance of political ‘unity’