Thread: Rudolph Giuliani to Vote for, but Not Endorse, Donald Trump

3:29 PM ET 3:29PM ET By Maggie Haberman

Rudolph Giuliani to Vote for, but Not Endorse, Donald Trump

Donald J. Trump with Rudolph W. Giuliani at a fund-raising event in the Bronx in July.Credit Seth Wenig/Associated Press

Rudolph W. Giuliani is not endorsing Donald J. Trump. But he is voting for him.

In an interview, Mr. Giuliani, the former mayor of New York who has been uncharacteristically quiet in the last week about the Republican primary, said that he was planning to vote for Mr. Trump in the state’s primary on April 19, over Senator Ted Cruz of Texas and Gov. John Kasich of Ohio.

“He’s my friend, and I think of the candidates, of the choices that I have, he’s the best choice for president,” Mr. Giuliani said. “He’s a better choice than Cruz and a more realistic choice than Kasich.”

Mr. Giuliani, who will be a delegate from Manhattan at the Republican National Convention, said he would have more sway on the floor as someone who had not endorsed anyone. But he spoke out as speculation swirled about why he had been absent in the lead-up to the primary in his home state.

Mr. Giuliani said he had been traveling, but that on several — not all — areas of policy, he agreed with Mr. Trump.

He acknowledged that he did not care for Mr. Trump’s Twitter post about Mr. Cruz’s wife, Heidi, which featured an unflattering picture of her.

“I didn’t like that,” Mr. Giuliani said. He also said he did not like the use of a photo of Mr. Trump’s wife, Melania, by a “super PAC” that is working to defeat him. “He’s a first-time candidate — you’re going to have some of these mistakes,” Mr. Giuliani said. “The man that I know is not the man you see on television. He’s a gentleman, he’s a good father.”

He added that there was never a plan to meet with Mr. Cruz, despite a report that such a sit-down was in the offing.

http://www.nytimes.com/politics/firs...-donald-trump/

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