News / Politics

White House: Former New York mayor comments on Obama 'horrible'

Friday, 20 February 2015 6:27 PM [ Last Update: Friday, 20 February 2015 6:37 PM ]

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani says he believes President Barack Obama does not love the United States — or the people in it.

The White House has denounced remarks by former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani for suggesting that President Barack Obama is unpatriotic and “doesn’t love” the United States.

"It was a horrible thing to say," said White House deputy press secretary Eric Schultz on Thursday when asked about the matter during a flight aboard Air Force One to Chicago.

“Mr. Giuliani test-drove this line of attack during his fleeting 2007 run for the presidency,” Schultz said.

“I was obviously not at the dinner last night, nor did I watch the remarks, so I’m going to leave it to those at the dinner to assess whether or not they were appropriate,” he added. “But I will say I agree with him on one thing he said today, which is that it was a horrible thing to say.”

Giuliani, the mayor of New York City from 1994 through 2001 and a Republican presidential candidate in 2008, used that same phrase to criticize Obama earlier this week, according to Politico.

“I do not believe, and I know this is a horrible thing to say, but I do not believe that the president loves America,” Giuliani said Wednesday during a private group dinner in Manhattan. “He doesn’t love you. And he doesn’t love me. He wasn’t brought up the way you were brought up and I was brought up through love of this country.”

In an interview with The New York Times on Thursday, Giuliani defended his criticism of Obama.

"He's a patriot, I'm sure," the former mayor said. "What I'm saying is that, in his rhetoric, I very rarely hear him say the things that I used to hear Ronald Reagan say, the things I used to hear Bill Clinton say, about how much he loves America. I do hear him criticize America much more often than other American presidents."

AHT/GJH

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk