On Topic with Rudy Giuliani

With a full crowd in attendance at Waco Hall, President Starr opened his discussion with Giuliani by reading from the 2001 TIME magazine article in which Giuliani was declared Person of the Year. The “Mayor of the World,” as he was named by TIME, Giuliani shared several stories of personal tragedy from September 11 – including the death of Father Michael Judge, the chaplain to the New York City Fire Department whom Giuliani credits as his “rock” and a major influence on how he responded to that tragic day. When asked by Judge Starr about what he believes he did right and what he wishes he could have done differently during that time, Giuliani explained, though preparations were in place for a terrorist related emergency, those preparations and the actual response needed to be on a much larger scale to be effective on September 11. He also noted that remaining calm was his greatest asset.

“What I did right, I think, is remain calm and not let the magnitude of the attack and my own personal grief overwhelm my ability to keep completely focused,” Giuliani said.

Before the attacks on September 11, Giuliani had started to write a book about leadership. After the events on and surrounding that day, he rewrote the book with a new perspective. Judge Starr noted that in his book, titled Leadership, Giuliani highlights several different qualities of leaders. He asked Giuliani to share three of what he believed to be the most important of these leadership traits. In response, Giuliani discussed the merits of strong beliefs and goals, relentless preparation and communication.

Giuliani’s own embodiment of these traits was illuminated as he answered questions from Judge Starr about his time as Mayor of New York City. He shared how he first became interested in running for mayor during his time as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York battling the crime and corruption that seemed to run rampant in his city.

“This city [New York City] is so corrupt. I know all the things wrong with it. Maybe I should run for mayor because maybe I can fix it,” Giuliani said, reflecting on his thoughts as he considered running for mayor.

Starr and Giuliani concluded their conversation by discussing Giuliani’s views on international affairs and his advice for Prosper Waco, a new approach to improving the lives of people in the Greater Waco community. Giuliani recommended identifying “what makes the city work” and building on those strengths, as he did with the restoration of the New Amsterdam Theatre and the development of Times Square.

With the close of Judge Starr’s questions for Giuliani, recent Baylor graduates and Special Assistants to the President Ali Mosser and Dominic Edwards shared a few audience-submitted questions with the former mayor. For the final question, Giuliani offered the best advice ever given to him to those in attendance, advice that he had received from his father.

“Pursue your dream, and if you get knocked down a few times, just learn from it,” Giuliani said. “Successful people are people who can absorb failures and use them as learning experiences.”