On CNN, Giuliani Claims Calling Black Lives Matter “Inherently Racist” Helps “Unite The Country”
Rudy Giuliani: “When You Do Not Include That All Lives Matter ... That's Dividing The Country By Race”
Written by Media Matters Staff
Published
From the July 18 edition of CNN's The Lead with Jake Tapper:
JAKE TAPPER (HOST): You said last week -- I believe it was last week, that Black Lives Matter is “inherently racist.” Do you think comments like that unite the country, or do you think they further the country?
RUDY GIULIANI: I think they unite the country because --
TAPPER: To say that Black Lives Matter is racist unites the country?
GIULIANI: When you do not include that all lives matter, when you take someone like the Governor of Maryland and intimidate him after he says “all lives matter,” to say “no, black lives matter,” that's dividing the country by race.
TAPPER: I can't speak to the Governor of Maryland. But Paul Ryan let me just say -- because he was asked this question, we did a town meeting last week, and somebody in the audience, a New Yorker, a Republican, pushed him. “Do you understand what people mean? Do you understand why people say that?” He said, “you're saying black lives matter because people feel like they're being discriminated against, and they're not safe because of the color of their skin, so that's profound. And because people believe that, we have to listen to that, and we have to hear about it, and we have to understand it, and then instead of just talking, let's go try solving it.” That's not what I hear from you or from Mr. Trump.
GIULIANI: I agree with that 100 percent. What I don't agree with is when they yell out in their demonstrations, as I've heard them do, “kill the police, kill the pigs, destroy police.” They have people among them who are doing that. I don't find that when they say --
TAPPER: But that's a minority of the demonstrators, don't you think?
GIULIANI: Well, then they should get rid of that minority of the demonstrators, then they should stand up against it. Then they should also say “black lives matter, all lives matter, blue lives mater, police lives matter.” We're one country. Where is the Obama who said “there's no black America or white America. There's one America.” Where's that Obama?
TAPPER: Are you going to be saying that this evening?
GIULIANI: I don't think I'll say it that way, but where is that Obama? What happened to him? What happened to him? I remember his first speech when he said there is no black America, black lives matter. There is no white America, white lives matter. There is one America. That is what I think we should be aiming for. Not dividing people. The minute we start putting racial tags on things, we are becoming divisive and we're getting close to racism.
TAPPER: I think the point -- and then we have to break, unfortunately. I think the point is that African-Americans, many of them, feel that they are having racial tags put on them by people stopping them --
GIULIANI: Then that should stop, and that should end, and there is no excuse for that. But there is no excuse, none, for assassinating police officers and putting targets on their backs. We are seeing a repeat of the Black Panther movement, where police officers are lured to come and help black people and then are assassinated.
TAPPER: That was a horrific incident in Baton Rouge, a horrific incident in Dallas --
GIULIANI: And don't tell me the atmosphere in this country isn't creating it.
Previously:
Why Hosting Rudy Giuliani To Talk About Race Is A Bad Idea
On Fox, Rudy Giuliani Doubles Down On Claim That Black Lives Matter Is “Inherently Racist”