Rudy Giuliani's daughter says she lost her aging father to Donald Trump

Rudy Giuliani's daughter Caroline is urging Americans to be wary of former President Donald Trump ahead of the 2024 presidential election after watching her father's life “collapse” over the relationship between him and Trump.

In a new essay for Vanity Fair Published on September 30, Caroline, an outspoken Democrat, pleaded with the public not to vote for Trump after seeing what happened to her father and announced her support for Vice President Kamala Harris in the high-risk presidential race.

“After months of feeling the kind of grief that comes with the death of a loved one, I realized that I was grieving the loss of my father to Trump. I can't bear to lose our country to him too,” Caroline, 35, wrote in part for Vanity Fair.

“I know some people may question whether I really care about my father, since another Trump presidency could theoretically alleviate some of the issues he faces,” she continued, seemingly referring to the her father's recent legal problems. “It bothers me to think that my father would even be surprised. But when you zoom out, Trump as president was the worst thing that ever happened to my father, my family and our nation’s modern history.”

“The consequences will only be more severe – and irreversible – the second time around,” Caroline warned.

Caroline, a Los Angeles-based author and filmmaker, is one of Giuliani's two children with his second wife, Donna Hanover. Last week, Giuliani, the former mayor of New York City and Trump's former personal attorney, was officially disbarred in Washington, DC for attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.

Giuliani, once hailed as the “Mayor of America” ​​who sought to unite the country after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, served as Trump's personal lawyer during the turmoil following the 2020 election, which led to his legal career nearly failing.

“Watching my father’s life crumble since he aligned himself with Trump has been extraordinarily painful, both on a personal level and because his death appears to be linked to a dark force that threatens to engulf America once again,” wrote Caroline for Vanity Fair.

Caroline wrote that she and her father have a “cartoonishly complicated relationship,” stressing that she loves her 80-year-old father and “the last thing I want to do is hurt him, especially when he's already down.” .”

She acknowledged that time with parents is limited, adding that this is “the most difficult piece I have ever written,” but stressed that the weight of the upcoming race is “bigger than any of us.”

Giuliani's daughter expressed her support for Harris and Tim Walz's ticket and said she will “never forget” the night her father confided in her that he was thinking about becoming Trump's lawyer, where she pleaded with him to think about it again.

“I didn’t hold anything back. “I expressed all of my concerns about Trump's blatant racism, his rampant misogyny, and his complete lack of empathy…The rest of that night, I held on to the hope that a daughter's emotional plea could actually influence a father,” Caroline wrote .

Never miss a story again — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

“But nothing I experienced prepared me for the very public and unstoppable implosion of my father’s life,” she added elsewhere in the essay.

Caroline also openly supported President Joe Biden and Harris' campaign in the 2020 election campaign and has supported several Democratic candidates over the years, including Hillary Clinton and former President Barack Obama.

Over the summer, she posted an undated photo of herself and Harris on Instagram with an unyielding message.

“PLEASE join me behind @kamalaharris to stop Trump. IT’S NOW OR NEVER,” she said.