There is at least one thing that the White House and former Republican New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani can agree on. Giuliani’s suggestion that President Barack Obama “doesn’t love” America is a “horrible thing to say.”

As previously reported, Giuliani made comments during a dinner for Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker in Manhattan Wednesday night that have been widely criticized.

“I do not believe -- and I know this is a horrible thing to say -- but I do not believe that the president loves America,” Giuliani said at the dinner, Politico reports. “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.”

While he didn’t speak at length, White House deputy press secretary Eric Schultz told reporters Thursday that there was one part of Giuliani’s comments that the White House agreed with.

“It was a horrible thing to say,” Schultz said, reports USA Today. “He seems embarrassed enough to be doing damage control this morning, so I'm not going to pile on from here.”

Giuliani did have to go on Fox News today to clarify his comments, saying that Obama is “more of a critic than a supporter” of America. He added, “I very rarely hear him say the things that I used to hear Ronald Reagan say and Bill Clinton say about how much he loves America.”

image courtesy of Michele Eve Sandberg/INFphoto.com