Andrew Giuliani barred from CBS' New York gubernatorial debate over vaccine mandate

In a Sunday morning press conference, leading GOP gubernatorial candidate Andrew Giuliani promised that if he's elected governor, state and city workers who lost their job due to required COVID vaccines will, on day one, "get their job back with back pay."

Giuliani, the son of former NYC mayor Rudy Giuliani, also said he'd completely and totally "throw all of these mandates into the dustbin of history." New York State employees are currently mandated to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or show weekly negative tests while NYC workers must be singularly vaccinated for employment.

The press conference was held at the WCBS Broadcast Center in Manhattan, the location's choice a response to Giuliani being banned from tomorrow's 7pm WCBS-hosted Republican primary gubernatorial debate. Giuliani agreed to attend and was told by WCBS that the only covid requirement was successful completion of a negative covid test. Giuliani remarked that he hasn't taken the vaccine based on his natural immunity and due to the vaccine's inefficiency in preventing transmission.

He was set to attend until "a couple of days ago" he was "told all of a sudden he'd have to upload vaccination status." Giuliani aligned WCBS's vaccine requirement and its consequences with the drastic impact vaccine mandates have had on NYC's unvaccinated frontline workers.

In a letter to CBS executives he wrote, "While [your rules] will disrupt Monday’s debate, the true injustice is that policies such as these have deprived front-line heroes such as firefighters, police and healthcare workers of employment and benefits."

"Remember those nurses we banged the pots and pans for - heroes - now we're gonna throw you away like a ragdoll," he said referring to the thousands of workers who lost their job in New York for refusing the vaccine. Giuliani has vowed as governor to "right these wrongs against the men and women who protect and serve New York City."

Giuliani was joined by a health freedom advocate named Joy who is a former DOE worker that was fired because of her vaccination status. She said she felt "humiliated" by the city and described the mandates  as "tyrannical" policies that "stripped the dignity from hard workers."

The vaccine discrimination against first responders and healthcare workers Giuliani categorized as "politically driven decisions."

Giuliani has encouraged his fellow Republicans not to "scrap this debate altogether" because of CBS's actions. "Don't use this as an excuse to be on that stage" he said while leaving open the door that he could attend remotely.