New York’s ex-mayor Rudy Giuliani says he’ll be voting for Donald Trump

Former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, who shot to international prominence for handling the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, on Thursday said he would vote for Republican frontrunner and Manhattan tycoon Donald Trump, although he fell short of declaring it a formal endorsement.

“I support Trump. I’m gonna vote for Trump,” he told The New York Post tabloid ahead of the April 19 New York primary, where the controversial billionaire leads the Republican polls by double digits.

The former mayor said he expected Trump to collect most of the 95 delegates up for grabs in New York and have a “good shot” at securing the party nomination and avert the possibility of a contested convention in July.

Giuliani took aim at Trump’s nearest challenger, evangelical Texas Senator Ted Cruz, for insulting New York’s supposedly non-conservative values earlier in the campaign.

Prominent Republicans outside New York have coalesced behind Cruz - emboldened by the senator’s victory in Wisconsin this week - in a bid to deny Trump the nomination.

“It’s New York City. We’re family. I can make fun of New York. But you can’t!” Giuliani was quoted as saying by the Post.