while speaking at a private event wednesday, guilliani was discussing what he called weak foreign policy decisions made by the president, when according to politico, he told the audience i know this is a horrible thing to say, but i do not believe the president loves america. 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. when asked about those remarks yesterday morning, guilliani appeared to be dialing back from his rhetoric. >> he is a patriot, i am sure. what i am saying in his rhetoric, i rarely hear him say the things that i used to hear ronald reagan say, hear bill clinton say he loves america. i hear him criticize america more than other presidents. >> and then the comments became stronger. >> mr. mayor, do you want to apologize for your comments? >> not at all, i want to repeat it. the reality is from all that i can see of this president, all i have heard from him, he apologizes for america, criticizes america. he talks about the crusades, how the christians were barbarians, leaves ou

here is nbc's andrea mitchell on the guilliani fallout. >> he apologizes for america, he criticizes americaabout this. i have no doubt. i do not withdraw my words. >> reporter: respond to go criticism after he told republican donors i do not believe the president loves america, he wasn't brought up the way you were brought up and i was with love of the country. thursday he appeared to deal it back. >> he is a patriot i am sure. i hear him criticize america more than others. >> doubling up on 2008 campaign charges about obama former chicago minister reverend jeremiah wright even maligning his grandfather, a world war ii veteran. >> you can fight world war ii, then introduce someone to a communist. >> his blasts of the president unrelenting and personal. >> he has gone abroad apologized for us every time he does it, it embarrasses me. >> reporter: earlier in the day, the white house fired back telling reporters he test drove this line of attack during his fleeting 2007 run for the presidency but some republicans considering a run for the presidency in 2016 piled on. louisiana governor bobby j

>> much better than punt or let the answers stay where guilliani was.alk about policy. we want to talk about how we can further the nation. talk about how come under this president if hillary clinton gets in the race is the disparity between the have and have-nots will continue to grow. 75% of the people believe the country is less safe than years ago. these are the conversations we want to be having. instead, we are talking about rudy giuliani who is a patriot, a hero brought new york out of one of the most tumultuous times in the world's history, yet he is not running for anything. so our candidates need to squash this, nip it in the bud, move on to talk about policy. and that's the only thing that will take the media and quite frankly a lot of republicans away from having to answer the question is if ones at the top end it and end it right now. >> jimmy, is it really off center that the fact that rubio says when biden says something silly, there's not a big explosion of commentary, when somebody else does on the republican side then everybody is focu