Topline
Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani posted an advertisement for MyPillow sandals on Twitter late Thursday, sparking ridicule and marking merely the latest bizarre move for Giuliani.
Rudy Giuliani talks to journalists outside the White House in July 2020.
Key Facts
Giuliani tweeted an image of the MyPillow sandals, offering a $30 discount on the shoes using promo code “RUDY.”
The 78-year-old Giuliani’s personal discount code brings down the price for the sandals down from $79.98 to $49.98, still a hike from the $29.95 price tag the viral Pillow Slides they appear to be a riff on.
Giuliani, who served as former President Donald Trump’s personal attorney, is closely allied with MyPillow founder and CEO Mike Lindell, who supported Giuliani and Trump’s false claims of fraud in the 2020 election.
Giuliani has a history of hatching odd schemes, including selling an autographed T-shirt commemorating the September 11 terrorist attacks for $911 last year (Giuliani was New York City mayor during the attacks).
Key Background
Giuliani becoming a social media influencer comes amid a particularly strange week, even for him: Giuliani claimed Sunday he was assaulted by a ShopRite employee in Staten Island and it felt “like someone shot” him, though footage showed the worker merely tapping on his back. New York City mayor Eric Adams said Wednesday Giuliani should be investigated for filing a false police report, accusing Giuliani of “sensationalism.” On his podcast earlier this month, Giuliani read an advertisement for MyPillow, which has suffered over Lindell’s support for the January 6 insurrection, with retailers such as Bed Bath & Beyond and Walmart pulling MyPillow products from their shelves. Giuliani has similarly faced backlash from his support for election fraud claims, and a New York court suspended Giuliani from practicing law in the state last year. Giuliani has still managed to stay in the public eye, appearing on an April episode of Fox reality show The Masked Singer and performing a rendition of “Bad To The Bone” by George Thorogood. His son Andrew Giuliani, a former Trump Administration official, lost in New York’s Republican gubernatorial race on Tuesday
Chief Critic
Giuliani’s sandal tweet received more than 15,000 likes and more than 12,000 retweets, many of which pointed out the ridiculousness of the ad. Laura Bassett, editor-in-chief of Jezebel, quote tweeted the ad, writing, “The downfall is complete.” Digital marketing executive Adam Singer tweeted, “[Does] Giuliani’s shilling of crappy sandals offends [sic] you as an American? No, it offends me as a marketer.”
Further Reading
Despite Controversy And Low Ratings, Fox Doesn’t Regret Casting Rudy Giuliani On ‘The Masked Singer’ (Forbes)
NYC Mayor Adams Accuses Giuliani Of Filing False Crime Report After Supermarket Slap (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/dereksaul/2022/07/01/rudy-giuliani-lands-new-gig-mypillow-influencer/