White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said he feels sorry for former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, who said this week President Barack Obama doesn’t love America.
“I can tell you that it's sad to see when somebody who has attained a certain level of public stature, and even admiration, tarnishes that legacy so thoroughly,” Earnest told reporters at his daily briefing. “And the truth is, I don't take any joy, or vindication, or satisfaction from that. I think, really, the only thing that I feel is I feel sorry for Rudy Giuliani today.”
Giuliani made his comments at a dinner Wednesday at Manhattan’s 21 Club.
‘“I do not believe, and I know this is a horrible thing to say, but I do not believe that the president loves America,” he told said. “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.”
Giuliani tried to clarify his remarks Thursday morning on “Fox and Friends.”
“Well, first of all, I’m not questioning his patriotism. He’s a patriot, I’m sure,” Giuliani said. “What I’m saying is, in his rhetoric I very rarely hear the things that I used to hear Ronald Reagan say, the things that I used to hear Bill Clinton say about how much he loves America.”
The former mayor charged “I do hear him criticize America much more often than other American presidents. And when it’s not in the context of an overwhelming number of statements about the exceptionalism of America, it sounds like he’s more of a critic than he is a supporter.”
When he was asked if Rudy Giuliani has “lost it?” Earnest “I don't know.”
“There's no element of schadenfreude that people are feeling around here,” he said. “You know, the fact is, I think what people are feeling is sorry for Rudy Giuliani.”
Earnest said Friday that Obama often talks about his love for the country and how the United States is a force for good in the world.
“In fact, it's the greatest force for good that the world has ever seen,” he said. “Many of you have been in the room when he's delivered those remarks like that, both in this country and around the world.”
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