
Piers Morgan and Donald Trump’s attorney Rudy Giuliani were involved in a fraught exchange on ITV’s Good Morning Britain today over the U.S. president’s remarks about the George Floyd protests.
Morgan, who claims to be a personal friend of Trump’s and has scored several exclusive interviews with the president, clashed with Giuliani over a Trump tweet, in which the U.S. leader declared that “when the looting stars the shooting starts.”
In the 14-minute exchange live on television in the UK, Morgan repeatedly asked Giuliani to justify the remark given its racial connotations after it was used by Miami police chief Walter Headley in 1967.
Morgan said it was Trump’s job to calm down tensions not throw “fuel on the fire,” but Giuliani staunchly defended his man, arguing he doesn’t “have a racist bone in his body.” He added that news coverage of the phrase was part of a “completely warped” left-wing media agenda.
The interview soon turned ugly, with the pair repeatedly talking over and interrupting each other, before descending into a personal slugfest.
“What happened to you? You used to be one of the most respected and revered people in America,” Morgan said to the former Mayor of New York City. He added: “You sound completely barking mad… you have lost the plot, and it’s sad to see.”
Giuliani then attacked Morgan over the cancellation of his CNN show in 2014 following a drop in ratings. “You were the one who got thrown off of television here… so don’t tell me I’ve lost anything. I know what happened to your show Piers, and I remember the mistakes you made,” he said. “Everyone in America knows you are a failed journalist.”
Giuliani also appeared to tell Morgan that he “f****d up,” and the presenter apologized to viewers for the remark. At the end of the interview, however, Giuliani disputed using the profanity. “I didn’t use any profanity, you are once again lying,” he argued.
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