Trying to explain his controversial comments that President Obama doesnโt love America, Rudy Giuliani said Friday that he believes the President has been influenced by communism and socialism.
โLook, this man was brought up basically in a white family, so whatever he learned or didnโt learn, I attribute this more to the influence of communism and socialismโ than to his race, Giuliani told the Daily News.
โI donโt (see) this President as being particularly a product of African-American society or something like that. He isnโt,โ the former mayor added. โLogically, think about his background. . . The ideas that are troubling me and are leading to this come from communists with whom he associated when he was 9 years oldโ through family connections.
When Obama was 9, he was living in Indonesia with his mother and his stepfather. Giuliani said he was referencing Obamaโs grandfather having introduced him to Frank Marshall Davis, a member of the Communist Party.
The former mayor also brought up Obamaโs relationship with โquasi-communistโ community organizer Saul Alinsky and the Rev. Jeremiah Wright.
Giuliani, a 2008 presidential hopeful, set off a national firestorm when he told an exclusive gathering of conservatives, pols and media figures on Wednesday night, โI know this is a horrible thing to say, but I do not believe that this President loves America.
โHe doesnโt love you. He doesnโt love me. He wasnโt brought up the way you were brought up and I was brought up: To love this country,โ Giuliani said of Obama at the Manhattan dinner, which was arranged for Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker.
Even the host of the โ21 Clubโ get together, billionaire Republican John Catsimatidis, distanced himself from Giulianiโs remarks.
โI wouldnโt have said it,โ Catsimatidis told the News on Friday. โI respect the position of President.โ
Amid the uproar, Giuliani has spent the last two days explaining and contextualizing his comments in various interviews โ but refusing to apologize.
In his interview with The News, which had a reporter at the Wednesday night dinner, Giuliani said he stood by his comments about the President because they were โfrom the heartโ and not politically calculated.
If critics are playing them up, he said, โIโm glad theyโre making a big deal out of it, (because itโs) an issue of life and death, which is a lack of leadership by our President.โ
Most of the likely 2016 GOP candidates have avoided addressing the Giuliani situation at length.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported Friday that Walker said โnoโ when asked if Giuliani had crossed the line with his accusations, then added, โI donโt think itโs worth getting into the battleโ over whether Obama loves the U.S.A. or not.
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, โdoesnโt question President Obamaโs motives. He does question President Obamaโs disastrous policies,โ a spokeswoman said.
Republican insiders said Giuliani is doing damage to the GOPโs image.
โI think it hurts the GOP brand once again,โ a Republican strategist said. โItโs these types of comments that make the independent voter just think that weโre crazy!โ
Giuliani responded on Friday, โI donโt know how good the political judgment of the people in my party is โ because they blew the last two elections.โ
Some GOP insiders defended Giuliani and said he is giving voice to what many may believe, but fear to say.
โWhen the Pope is sounding more hawkish than the President of the United States, then the White House just doesnโt get it,โ a longtime party operative said, โand I believe Rudyโs genuinely frustrated about that โ as are a lot of other people.โ
Meanwhile, White House spokesman Josh Earnest was asked about Giulianiโs comments and said he felt โsorryโ for him.
โItโs sad to see when somebody who has attained a certain level of public stature, and even admiration, tarnishes that legacy so thoroughly,โ Earnest said.
โAnd the truth is, I donโt take any joy, or vindication, or satisfaction from that. I think, really, the only thing that I feel is sorry for Rudy Giuliani today.โ
NY Daily News
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