Rudy is doubling down.
Former mayor Rudy Giuliani acknowledged his speech criticizing President Obama’s patriotism last week “hit a nerve” but went even further Sunday denouncing the president’s foreign policy agenda.
“I said it maybe 30 times before but somehow this time it hit a nerve, maybe because the president is on such defense for his unwillingness to face Islamic terrorism,” Giuliani told John Catsimatidis on 970 AM The Answer.
“We need a American president more like Ronald Reagan who gave us a sense of optimism,” said Giuliani. “There’s something about his unwillingness to talk about Islamic extremist Muslims that is not only wrong, it is becoming very dangerous.”
Giuliani said Wednesday that he did not believe President Obama “loves America.”
“He doesn’t love you. He doesn’t love me. He wasn’t brought up the way you were brought up and I was brought up: to love this country,” said Giuliani.
Critics around the world accused the former mayor of making racist remarks.
Hizzoner even earned a rare rebuke from the White House whose spokesman Josh Earnest said he “feels sorry” for the one-time presidential candidate who “tarnished his legacy.”
“It’s sad to see when someone who has attained a certain level of public stature and even admiration tarnishes that legacy so thoroughly,” said Earnest.
Giuliani backpedaled Friday telling reporters Obama was brought up in a white family but was raised with communist and socialist values.
Giuliani told CNN on Saturday his secretary has received death threats because of his speech.
But Giuliani launched additional attacks on the White House on Sunday, arguing the President “turned on Israel,” refused to back Arab allies in the Middle East against the threat of Iran, and botched relations with Russian president Vladimir Putin.
“I want a president who is not embarrassed to say America is the strongest power on Earth and we’re going to assert ourselves and I want our enemies to be afraid of our president,” said Giuliani.
“That’s the only way we will defeat these people,” he added. “We’re not going to defeat with this namby pamby stuff about not being able to say ‘Islamic terrorists.’”
Catsimatidis, who invited Giuliani to his dinner at the 21 Club, said the former mayor received a “double take” from guests when he said his unprompted remarks.
But he defended Giuliani’s right to bash the president.
“I think everybody is entitled to their own opinion,” Catsimatidis told 970 The Answer’s Frank Morano on Sunday.
“I think he just got it off his chest. Maybe that’s the way he felt personally. This is a free America, everyone can say what they want,” said Catsimatidis.