NEW YORK CITY — Mayor Bill de Blasio said comments by former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani that President Barack Obama does not "love America" could only be described as "pitiful."
"I think it's unfair for anyone to question our president's patriotism. The president has served with great distinction," said de Blasio during an unrelated Brooklyn press conference Thursday.
"And I find it a cheap political trick for Rudy Giuliani to question the president's love of the country. That is...stooping very, very low, even for him."
Politico reported that Giuliani made the comments during a fundraising dinner for Republican presidential contender and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker at the 21 Club in midtown Manhattan.
“I do not believe, and I know this is a horrible thing to say, but I do not believe that the president loves America,” said Giuliani, “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.”
Walker did not contest Giuliani's comment.
"The mayor can speak for himself," Walker said on CNBC's Squawk Box. "I'm not going to comment on what the president thinks or not. He can speak for himself."
De Blasio blasted Walker for remaining silent and urged him to condemn Giuliani's remarks.
"I hear a deafening silence from Scott Walker. I think Governor Walker should disassociate himself immediately from Rudy Giuliani's comments. They are an insult to our commander-in-chief, and they're absolutely unfounded," said de Blasio.
"So, Governor Walker has the chance to decide who he is and what he stands for — so far, he's been absolutely silent, which must mean he wants to stoop as low as Rudy Giuliani did," the mayor added.
Giuliani has not backed down from his comments. In an interview with the New York Times he said his comments were not racist because Obama's mother was white.
“Some people thought it was racist — I thought that was a joke, since he was brought up by a white mother, a white grandfather, went to white schools, and most of this he learned from white people,” Mr. Giuliani said in the interview. “This isn’t racism. This is socialism or possibly anti-colonialism.”
Giuliani also challenged a reporter to cite examples of Obama displaying love for America.
On "Fox and Friends", Giuliani said he was not questioning Obama's patriotism.
“He’s a patriot, I’m sure,” said Giuliani. “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.”
A White House spokesperson called Giuliani's comment "horrible" on Thursday. The White House also used a tweet about Obama naming three new national monuments to issue a not-so-subtle response by using the hashtag #ObamaLovesAmerica.
White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said Friday that Obama has given many speeches where he talks about his love for America and has referred to the country as a "force for good" throughout the world.
“It is sad to see when somebody who has attained a certain level of public stature, and even admiration, tarnishes that legacy so thoroughly,” said Earnest.
"I don’t take any joy or vindication or satisfaction from that. And I think that the only thing that I feel is, I feel sorry for Rudy Giuliani today," he added.
Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz also criticized Giuliani's remarks Thursday at a Washington, D.C. meeting of the Association of State Democratic Chairs.
“In all seriousness, I rarely agreed with President Bush, but I never questioned his love for our country. I don’t often agree with my Republican colleagues on the Hill, but I know they love America," said Wasserman Schultz. “Is this what it’s really come to? Really?"
