Rudy Giuliani Says He Could Have ‘Cracked My Skull and Died’ From ShopRite Back Slap
Rudy Giuliani was slapped on the back by a supermarket employee over the weekend. However, a look at footage from the incident suggests that the former mayor and longtime associate of Donald Trump might be exaggerating his telling of the story.
The encounter happened while Giuliani was at a ShopRite store to help with his son's campaign to become governor of New York. According to The New York Times, an employee hit him on the back and said, "What's up, scumbag."
The man, who was later ideffited as Daniel Gill, was arrested. While he faced a charge of second degree assault, Deadline noted that his charges were reduced to misdemeanors while in court.
Giuliani alleged that the assailant screamed at him about killing women and associated the outburst with the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. He also commented on how he was feeling after what his son referred to as an "assault."
"My back hurts, but otherwise I'm able to walk and stuff like that," he told the NYT. "He almost knocked me down. Thank God for a 78-year-old man, I am in pretty good shape."
The former mayor continued to tell a very dramatic tale about the encounter during an interview with Curtis Sliwa, according to Insider.
"I feel a shot on my back, like somebody shot me. I went forward, but luckily I didn't fall down," Giuliani claimed. "I mean, suppose I was a weaker 78-year-old and I hit the ground, cracked my skull, and died."
However, footage released from the incident paints a decidedly less dramatic picture.
In the video, a man walks up behind Giuliani and appears to pat him on the back. The mayor does appear to be startled by the encounter, and seems to take a step to balance himself. However, the slap that was likened to being shot does not appear to be overly violent.
A woman next to Giuliani instantly rubbed his back and check in on him as the other man walked away. Giuliani can be seen pointing at his assailant as the footage ends.
Watch it all go down below:
It appears that Giuliani knows that the video does not support his telling of the story. Deadline noted that he referred to the evidence as being "a little deceptive."
"It just shows a hand on my back,” he said. Giuliani continued to emphasize the risk he associated with the encounter. “I could have fallen down … Elderly people die most often from falling down.”