Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who courted the Republican presidential nomination unsuccessfully in 2008, has since become a larger-than-life figure among American conservatives. From his unsolicited (and poorly-timed) advice to President Barack Obama, to his stance on Beyonce’s anti-police Super Bowl 50 performance, Giuliani’s is a name that the current Republican contenders might want to court ahead of the New York state primary on Tuesday, April 19. Hence why the internet is all a flutter that the New York Post is reporting that Giuliani will endorse front-runner and fellow New Yorker Donald Trump. Except that’s not what he actually said.
On Thursday, Giuliani told the Post, “I support Trump. I’m gonna vote for Trump.” He also opined that the New York real estate mogul would have no problem securing most of the state’s 95 delegates, which will be divided among the Republican candidates depending upon how much of the vote each receives:
“It’s a question of how much he gets over 50 percent. If he wins 70 to 80 delegates, Donald has a good shot of securing the 1,237 delegates to secure the nomination before the convention,” Giuliani said.
Giuliani had also met with Ted Cruz, the junior senator from Texas who beat Trump at the Wisconsin Republican primary. However, the senator’s oft-criticized comment about Trump’s “New York values” sent the former mayor in his competitor’s direction.
All of this sounds like political business as usual, but towards the end of the report, the Post reveals a curious thing about Giuliani’s so-called endorsement:
He said he doesn’t agree with all of Trump’s positions but supports his focus on the economy, immigration and security.
Why would a major figure among New York Republicans endorse a candidate even though “he doesn’t agree with all” of what said candidate is saying or doing? It doesn’t make any sense, hence why Giuliani later cleared things up with the New York Times, saying that “he’s not doing a formal endorsement of Trump, [but] will vote for him”:
Rudy tells me he's not doing formal endorsement of Trump, will vote for him. He is a Manhattan convention delegate who can have more away 1
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) April 7, 2016
His reasoning for announcing his vote, but clarifying that it’s not an endorsement isn’t clear, though Business Insider suggests that Giuliani is probably following in the foot steps of former presidential candidates before him. People like New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, who both endorsed Trump after suspending their campaigns in order to stay politically relevant.
Either way, the Trump camp doesn’t seem to mind. As Trump indicated in a statement to the press, he has “tremendous respect” for the former mayor and thinks his support is a “great honor”:
Trump campaign statement on Rudy Giuliani's reported endorsement pic.twitter.com/MisaiwU54h
— Ben Jacobs (@Bencjacobs) April 7, 2016
(Via New York Post and Business Insider)