Donald Trump's Claims Against Rudy Giuliani Are Raising Eyebrows
We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.
Shortly following his leave from the Oval Office, former President Donald Trump has seemingly done everything he possibly can to permanently disassociate from his one-time trusted confidante and personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani. Giuliani, who is facing at least two lawsuits — both cumulatively worth billions of dollars — for baselessly accusing two different voting machine manufacturers of aiding in election fraud in November 2020, had his law license revoked in the state of New York in June, has by all appearances not taken Trump's distancing well. Oy.
Now, according to a new book about the final phase of Trump's presidential term, it looks like there might be more fuel to the fire than meets the eye over allegations and claims Trump has made about Giuliani to others, per Insider. So what exactly did Trump say about his former confidante? And to whom did he say these things? And is there a chance there's even a kernel of truth to any of it? So many questions!
Keep on scrolling down below to find out all about it.
Donald Trump purportedly told people that Rudy Giuliani had a drinking problem
As Insider reported on July 8, an upcoming book by author Michael Wolff, entitled "Landslide: The Final Days of the Trump Presidency," alleges that Donald Trump told at least one person during a phone call that former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani had a drinking problem, referring to him as "a loose cannon" who lied to others.
"In the days after Giuliani's return, Trump, in a nearly reflective or perhaps slightly shamed moment, explained to a caller that he knew Rudy took a drink too many, and that he was a loose cannon, and that he said a lot of s— that was not true [to others]," Wolff wrote. "But Rudy would fight. He could be counted on to fight even when others wouldn't. And, too, he would work for free." (Notably, a factor in the Giuliani rift was that Trump supposedly did not pay Giuliani for his legal services at $20,000 per diem.)
Wolff also wrote (via Insider) that there was a "deep resentment and even hatred" of Giuliani in the corridors of the West Wing in the final days of Trump's presidency, with many seemingly blaming Giuliani for the administration's failures. Insiders thought he was regularly drinking or, "in the mumble tank," per Wolff. "You would have been hard pressed to find anyone in Trumpworld who had not thought or said as much," the author added. Trump has yet to comment on the book.
The veracity of the rumors about Rudy Giuliani and Donald Trump is the subject of debate
While the accounts about the feud and initial rumors both between and surrounding disgraced lawyer and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and his ex-boss Donald Trump could very well be real as reported, it seems that others are questioning the veracity of their source: Michael Wolff's soon-to-be-published "Landslide." Per Insider, Wolff's prior work, specifically his first book "Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House," has been thoroughly questioned by skeptics (many of them journalists like Wolff). Much of these are over questions of access to his sources in an administration that was known for blocking such access, as well as being routinely dismissive and outright hostile to journalists.
However, according to Insider, similar accounts popped up in another work by journalist Michael Bender, who stated in "Frankly, We Did Win This Election: The Inside Story of How Trump Lost" that his sources told similar stories about Trump's accusations about Giuliani. While this might corroborate Wolff's claim that Trump did indeed spread rumors and make claims about Giuliani's drinking habits and day-to-day routines, it still remains unclear if Trump's assertions were based on actual truth.
The rumors are hardly Rudy Giuliani's only problem
Regardless of whether or not the accounts perpetuated by Donald Trump about Rudy Giuliani are based in reality, it seems Giuliani's descent from the highest echelons of the Republican party into its depths is not quite over yet. As The Daily Beast noted on July 8, a donation page meant to serve as a funnel for Giuliani's legal fund for his upcoming, respective court battles against lawsuits against him pertaining to the November 2020 election has seemingly vanished from the disgraced lawyer's website.
The Daily Beast noted that part of the reason for its sudden disappearance could directly be tied to the comparatively small amount of money that Giuliani reportedly received since the page appeared at the end of June. Launched by Giuliani's colleague Bernard Kerik, who worked alongside Giuliani as Commissioner of the New York City Police Department during Giuliani's years as mayor in 2000 and 2001, the page raised only $9,798 total out of the $5 million they hoped to garner from donors.