As the ancient proverb goes, a man’s Amazon purchase history is a window into his soul. And Rudy Giuliani’s soul, it would seem, is crammed full of $4 polyester ties. According to court documents filed as part of bankruptcy claims proceedings, the former mayor of New York and personal attorney of Donald Trump has recently made “a troubling quantity of Amazon and Apple transactions”. In May alone, he spent almost $2,000 on Amazon. His purchases, which have attracted a fair amount of mirth on social media, include other ties from a brand whose tagline is “Always to be a Gentlemen”. He also bought a lot of dress socks, coffee and toiletries.
We’ve all made embarrassing online purchases. Under ordinary circumstances, mocking Giuliani for buying anti-shine makeup powder and “deep bronze” tanning lotion would be a low blow. But Giuliani is not a private citizen. He’s a political figure who was allied with the former president and who has been vocal about American manufacturing jobs. The fact he buys cheap imported accessories online while virtue-signalling about how much he supports American jobs is worth remarking on.
More importantly, Giuliani’s frivolous purchases matter because the guy is crying poor. Last December, he was ordered to pay $148m in damages to election workers he falsely accused of rigging votes in the 2020 election. He also has other creditors and owes $153m in total. Did Giuliani liquidate his assets and vow to live on lentils until his debts were settled? No, of course he didn’t. He weaponised the law and filed for bankruptcy to try to protect his assets – a go-to strategy for wealthy corporations and individuals. As part of these bankruptcy proceedings Giuliani is supposed to be sticking to a strict budget (a “mere” $43,000 a month) and only buying necessities.
Strangely enough for a politician, however, Giuliani seems to be having trouble sticking to his promises. Last month his creditors, along with the judge overseeing his bankruptcy case, complained that Giuliani had missed filing deadlines and provided incomplete information about his finances. They also complained about how much money he continues to spend. Those ugly ties in his shopping cart are evidence of bad taste – but even worse morals.
• Arwa Mahdawi is a Guardian columnist
