The resiliency that New Yorkers displayed after the attacks on the World Trade Center 13 years ago acted as a "defense to terrorism," former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani told MSNBC's "Morning Joe" on the anniversary of the tragedy.
Giuliani, who was mayor at the time of the attacks, said the way New Yorkers rebounded from the devastation showed they were willing to take risks, evidenced by the fact there are "twice as many people living here as before Sept. 11."
"Right after Sept. 11, the days after, as the mayor, I wondered how are we ever going to bring everybody back, bring all the businesses back here," Giuliani, a Republican, said Thursday. "They realize the danger, but they also realize that the risk is something that they can accept. It's worth it to accept it, to live here. And that resiliency is a defense to terrorism."
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Giuliani said the city's rebound told terrorists "you can hit us hard, but you're not going to really destroy our confidence."
He said the rebuilding was a "great testament" to New Yorkers after his plea on the day of the attack, where he implored the city's residents to let the tragedy make them "stronger" and to "build on" what had happened.
New York is "safer than we were in 2001," Giuliani told "Fox & Friends" on Thursday, because of increased security at airports and intelligence that is now "much, much better."
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In addition, he said the New York Police Department is "about as well trained in counterterrorism as you can possibly train a police department."
He said he would spend the day at commemorative ceremonies, including the service on 9/11 Memorial Plaza, and visits to Port Authority, police stations, and to a firehouse with Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson.