Rudy Giuliani dismisses anti-Trump protesters as 'goons and thugs'

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani appeared at The Wall Street Journal's CEO Council in Washington, D.C., on Monday, set to offer his perspective on American leadership and how the U.S.'s role in the world will evolve under Donald Trump. During his talk, however, the former mayor and vice chair of President-elect Trump's transition team segued into a discussion on domestic policy, particularly Trump's plans for the African-American community.

"They have a president of the United States that not only doesn't have a prejudiced bone in his body … but who [also] has a real commitment to trying to help the African-American community," Giuliani said of Trump. He then began lambasting cities that have "deteriorated under Democrats" before an audience member who had apparently initially questioned Giuliani interjected to demand an answer to her actual query, about Trump's response to the hate crimes and harassment of minorities being perpetuated in his name.

While the panel moderator mentioned that Trump had directly condemned the incidents in an interview with 60 Minutes that aired Sunday night, Giuliani went a step further to compare Trump's lack of influence over any supporters wreaking havoc to President Obama and Hillary Clinton's responsibility for the "goons and thugs" taking to the streets to protest Trump's election:

Rudy Giuliani on anti-Trump demonstrators: "goons and thugs" https://t.co/LBQEPRkoqW #WSJCEOCouncil pic.twitter.com/JhTPAqIuBd

— Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) November 15, 2016

Giuliani was mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001, a period during which crime dropped dramatically in the city — but which also saw the birth of controversial policing policies like stop-and-frisk, which disproportionately targeted minorities.