Thread: Donald Trump consults with Rudy Giuliani as he builds political kitchen cabinet

Donald Trump consults with Rudy Giuliani as he builds political kitchen cabinet


By Robert Costa
February 21 at 10:44 PM

Fresh off back-to-back victories in the Republican presidential race, Donald Trump is moving to expand his tight-knit campaign by building a political kitchen cabinet that includes former New York mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani.

Giuliani, who has not made an endorsement in the 2016 contest, said in an interview Sunday that he has conferred at length with Trump at least three times in the past month, both in person and by phone, and has counseled the real estate mogul “as a close personal friend” about campaign issues.

“We’ve been talking. Donald and me, Donald and a few other friends who know politics. He calls to check things out or I’ll call him to say, ‘Donald, you’re going too far’ or ‘What you said was great’ or maybe ‘Change it a bit.’ It’s nothing formal. It’s kind of a running conversation,” Giuliani said. “There is candor and there is trust.”

Giuliani would not disclose who else has been speaking more frequently with the GOP front-runner. But he said there is a growing group of high-profile New York and Washington-based figures with deep GOP ties who are now in regular touch with Trump and quietly connecting his campaign with their own networks.

“I could easily list off some names for you but that’s for Donald to say,” Giuliani said.

In an email Sunday night, Trump confirmed that Giuliani has become part of his inner circle as he navigates the 2016 terrain and hotly contested primaries.

"Rudy is a very knowledgeable friend. I consider his counsel very important," Trump wrote.

Trump’s effort to create a private sounding board of associates and allies is the latest example of how he is broadening his outreach beyond the small team of policy aides who work on his campaign. And it underscores how the Republican establishment, which once firmly opposed his candidacy, is beginning to have warmer relations with the candidate, especially as his chances of clinching the nomination improve with each primary win.

Giuliani, 71, ran unsuccessfully for the GOP nomination in 2008 but remains popular with many Republicans for his leadership in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

Giuliani described his talks with Trump as “frank” but encouraging. “I think he could over perform in a general election similar to what Reagan did in 1980, bringing in new people,” he said. “He has that ability. On the other hand, I’ve told him when I’ve disagreed, telling him when I think he may be hurting himself.”

Giuliani mentioned Trump’s criticism of former president George W. Bush at a recent debate as one particular area where they do not overlap. “I thank God that George W. Bush was president during 9/11,” he said.

“The way this works is that it’s an open line, him to me, me to him, him to others. He is calling a lot of people, listening but doing what he thinks he needs to do. He listens respectfully, says he’ll consider whatever it is you send him. Sometimes he uses what we send him, sometime he doesn’t,” Giuliani said.

“You know, he’s very good,” Giuliani said when asked about Trump’s grasp of complex policy. “It’s clear that he has an exceptionally good understanding of how the economy affects our foreign policy. He understands what’s happening with China, how they could stop North Korea in a heartbeat. This idea that he’s only familiar with slogans, it’s not accurate at all.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...tchen-cabinet/

As Mayor of New York City, Rudy Giuliani was one of the biggest illegal alien sanctuary supporters in the country. He does not believe illegal immigration is a crime and supports amnesty for illegal aliens. Any serious immigration and border security hawk would stay away from this man!

Why would Trump seek his endorsement?

Where does the article say Trump is seeking Rudy's endorsement? The article says Rudy isn't endorsing anyone in the 2016 race.

Originally Posted by Judy

Where does the article say Trump is seeking Rudy's endorsement? The article says Rudy isn't endorsing anyone in the 2016 race.

This certainly seems like he's seeking his endorsement to me:

Fresh off back-to-back victories in the Republican presidential race, Donald Trump is moving to expand his tight-knit campaign by building a political kitchen cabinet that includes former New York mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani.

No, the article does not say Rudy is not endorsing anyone in 2016. Here's what it says:

Giuliani, who has not made an endorsement in the 2016 contest

That does not mean he won't make one, it just means he hasn't made one yet.

None of which supports your statement that Trump "seeks his endorsement". I think the "hasn't yet" fact Trumps the "seems like" insinuation. I have no problem with a Rudy endorsement of Trump, they disagree on almost everything, so if Rudy would ever endorse Trump it's only because he thinks Trump has it in the bag and wants to hitch his wagon to the Trump Train and that would help in a state like New York when that primary comes up.

The facts are what they are. I'm fairly sure most people would come to the same conclusion I did after reading the story.

Oh, well, then Trump needs to address it and make it his next 5 day free news spree. I'll pass it along.

I think you are both reading way too far into this. And remember, when he becomes the nominee, both pro and anti amnesty republicans are going to have to support him. You better get used to swimming in the pool with everyone in it if you think Trump is going to be the nominee.

Giuliani has special skills and knowledge which is being offered up to Trump, but clearly he is not taking his advice on immigration.

They didn't even agree on Bush, 9/11 and Terrorism, which were the topics they discussed and were mentioned in the article.

Giuliani mentioned Trump’s criticism of former president George W. Bush at a recent debate as one particular area where they do not overlap. “I thank God that George W. Bush was president during 9/11,” he said.

“The way this works is that it’s an open line, him to me, me to him, him to others. He is calling a lot of people, listening but doing what he thinks he needs to do. He listens respectfully, says he’ll consider whatever it is you send him. Sometimes he uses what we send him, sometime he doesn’t,” Giuliani said.

“You know, he’s very good,” Giuliani said when asked about Trump’s grasp of complex policy. “It’s clear that he has an exceptionally good understanding of how the economy affects our foreign policy. He understands what’s happening with China, how they could stop North Korea in a heartbeat. This idea that he’s only familiar with slogans, it’s not accurate at all.”

I thought it was a nice article. Rudy is still very popular in New York, primarily because of 9/11.

Originally Posted by joe s

I think you are both reading way too far into this. And remember, when he becomes the nominee, both pro and anti amnesty republicans are going to have to support him. You better get used to swimming in the pool with everyone in it if you think Trump is going to be the nominee.

Giuliani has special skills and knowledge which is being offered up to Trump, but clearly he is not taking his advice on immigration.

Nothing to read into it because the facts are as I listed. Giuliani, for years, ran the biggest sanctuary city in the country. He is also a self-admitted amnesty supporter. Furthermore, even though I have no problem with Trump being the nominee, it is not a foregone conclusion that he's there yet. Cruz or Trump, I'm fine with either, but I do want to see Rubio squeezed out soon .... very soon.

A public association with Giuliani could be a turn-off for some. Personally, I do not like Giuliani for a number of reasons.

Rudy Giuliani on a few issues:

Support tamper-proof ID card and path to citizenship

The core of my plan on immigration is to stop illegal immigration at the border with a BorderStat system, with technology, with an increased Border Patrol. We can stop illegal immigration if we stop it right at the border. We should develop a tamper-proo ID card for people who want to come into the US. We need to teach new behavior. The new behavior is, if you want to come into the US, you have to identify yourself. You can’t get into most countries without identifying yourself. If you’ve got the tamper-proof ID card, you’d be allowed to work, pay taxes, get online, become a citizen, follow the rules, but then at the end of the line, you’d have to be able to read, write and speak English. If you speak a second language or a third language or a fourth language, that’s great. The US has to be a country that has facility with more languages, given the global economy we live in. But the focus has to be on being able to read, write and speak English if you want to be a citizen.Source: 2008 GOP debate in Boca Raton Florida , Jan 24, 2008

Let illegals self-select to sign up & work on the tax rolls

Q: You have a comprehensive plan that calls for building a fence & immediately deporting any illegals who commit crimes, but that’s still going to leave 10 million people here. What would you do with them?A: What you would do is you would secure the border. You’d have a tamper-proof I.D. card. And once it was working, what you would do is you’d deport the people who are criminals. You’ve got to get that number down to a number that is deportable.
Q: What will you do with the ones--let’s say 8 million, 6 million, whatever--who haven’t broken the law?
A: You let them sign up. You assure yourself that they’re safe, decent people, that they’re now working on the rolls.
Q: But that sure sounds like amnesty for that self-selected group of people.
A: Not at all. If they ever wanted to become citizens, they would have to get on the back of the line. They couldn’t get ahead of anyone else. They would have to pay fines.
Q: But you wouldn’t make them leave the country?
A: No.
Source: 2008 Fox News interview: “Choosing the President” series , Jan 13, 200

FactCheck: NYC acted like “sanctuary city”, in all but name

Romney and Giuliani accused each other of willfully providing “sanctuary” to immigrants who are in the US illegally. When asked if NYC under Giuliani was a sanctuary city, Romney responded, “Absolutely. Called itself a sanctuary city..” Romney is simply wrong on one point: New York never called itself a “sanctuary city.”Giuliani also strained the facts when he flatly stated during the debate that New York “was not a sanctuary city.” New York indeed had a policy, which Giuliani defended during the debate, that forbade city employees from giving federal immigration officials the names of illegal aliens unless the immigrant was suspected of other criminal activity or turning the person over was required by law. That protection was granted by a previous mayor through executive order 124 in 1989 and renewed by Giuliani. However the city chooses to characterize its policies, they fit the description of “sanctuary” applied by neutral experts.
Source: FactCheck.org on 2007 GOP YouTube debate , Nov 28, 2007

FactCheck: NYC not “sanctuary” but did welcome illegals

Giuliani glossed over his own record in denying that he made New York a “sanctuary” for illegal aliens. Giuliani said, “the simple fact is that New York City had a policy of allowing people who are illegal immigrants to report crime and to put their children in school. Otherwise, we reported every single illegal immigrant that committed a crime.”In fact, Giuliani’s policy as mayor was not so simple as he now claims. New York didn’t describe itself as a “sanctuary city” for aliens. However, Giuliani told the New York Times early in 1994 that “Some of the hardest-working and most productive people in this city are undocumented aliens. If you come here and you work hard and you happen to be in an undocumented status, you’re one of the people who we want in this city. You’re somebody that we want to protect, and we want you to get out from under what is often a life of being like a fugitive.” The Times said back then that the mayor was “virtually urging illegal immigrants to settle in NYC.”
Source: FactCheck.org on 2007 GOP primary debate in Orlando , Oct 21, 2007

Allow immigrants to work, with tamper-proof ID cards

Q: You said about illegal immigrant in NYCs: “If you come here, and you work hard, and you happen to be in an undocumented status, you’re one of the people who we want in this city.” If that was good enough for New York, why isn’t it good enough for the country?A: The focus on immigration should be to know everyone who’s in the US. We should have a tamper-proof ID card; we should have a database in which we can identify the people who are in this country. We’ve got to be sensible about immigration. If we do the kinds of things that some of the [other GOP candidates] are talking about, this country’s going to be in greater danger; it is going to be more insecure; we’re going to face a situation in which terrorists can find a big underground to hide in. So we need a fence--a technological fence--we need a tamper-proof ID card. And we need a way that people who are working in this country can come forward, sign up for the tamper-proof ID card, get in the database and start paying their way.
Source: 2007 Republican Debate in South Carolina , May 15, 2007

Change rule barring immigrants from running for president

Q: Should we change our Constitution to allow men like Mel Martinez, born in Cuba, and Arnold Schwarzenegger, born in Austria, to stand here some night as candidates for president?PAUL: I’m a no, because I am a strong supporter of the original intent
GIULIANI: When he called me up to endorse him, he got me on the phone, he said, “Will you endorse me?”, and I was too afraid to say no. I would say yes.
TANCREDO: Intimidating as he might be, I’m saying no.
Source: 2007 GOP primary debate, at Reagan library, hosted by MSNBC , May 3, 2007

Supports Senate guest worker plan & path to citizenship

Giuliani has been criticized for embracing illegal immigration. Giuliani continued a policy of preventing city employees from contacting INS about immigration violations. He ordered city attorneys to defend this policy in federal court. Giuliani has also expressed doubt that the federal government can stop illegal immigration. In April 2006, Giuliani went on the record as favoring the US Senate’s comprehensive immigration plan which includes a path to citizenship and a guest worker planSource: wikipedia.org , Nov 7, 2006

NYC services for illegal aliens

Giuliani takes all the wrong social positions for the GOP base:

• He supports abortion rights & backs late-term abortions & Medicaid funding.
• He is for affirmative action based on race & gender and energetically administered set-aside programs in NYC to encourage minority contractors.
• He favors controls on handguns and rifles, and presided over the most restrictive gun controls in the nation as mayor of NYC.
• He supports greater immigration and the delivery of public services to those who are here illegally.

In short, Giuliani flunks all the litmus tests of the GOP right wing. At the moment, his record on 9/11 and his strong & successful fight against crime have put him ahead in the polls. But he is a social liberal, and the Christian Right and the NRA control the GOP nominating process. It is absolutely inconceivable that GOP primary voters would support a pro-choice, pro-immigration, pro-affirmative action, antigun candidate--whatever his name, outside achievements or reputation.Source: Condi vs. Hillary, by Dick Morris, p.234-235 , Oct 11, 2005

http://www.ontheissues.org/2012/Rudy...mmigration.htm

Giuliani is in no sense of the word a conservative. He's a liberal with big city liberal ideas. I honestly remember being shocked that he was actually calling himself a Republican. If I was Trump, I would keep my private conversations with the man, well, private.