\u00a9 John Minchillo\/Associated Press<\/span> Former New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani speaks in New York in 2014.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\nRobert Costa
\nThe Washington Post<\/p>\n
Fresh off back-to-back victories in the Republican presidential race, Donald Trump is moving to expand his tight-knit campaign by building a political kitchen cabinet that includes former New York mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani.<\/p>\n
Giuliani, who has not made an endorsement in the 2016 contest, said in an interview Sunday that he has conferred at length with Trump at least three times in the past month, both in person and by phone, and has counseled the real estate mogul \u201cas a close personal friend\u201d about campaign issues.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve been talking. Donald and me, Donald and a few other friends who know politics. He calls to check things out or I\u2019ll call him to say, \u2018Donald, you\u2019re going too far\u2019 or \u2018What you said was great\u2019 or maybe \u2018Change it a bit.\u2019 It\u2019s nothing formal. It\u2019s kind of a running conversation,\u201d Giuliani said. \u201cThere is candor and there is trust.\u201d<\/p>\n
Giuliani would not disclose who else has been speaking more frequently with the GOP front-runner. But he said there is a growing group of high-profile New York and Washington-based figures with deep GOP ties who are now in regular touch with Trump and quietly connecting his campaign with their own networks.<\/p>\n
\u201cI could easily list off some names for you but that\u2019s for Donald to say,\u201d Giuliani said.<\/p>\n
In an email Sunday night, Trump confirmed that Giuliani has become part of his inner circle as he navigates the 2016 terrain and hotly contested primaries.<\/p>\n
“Rudy is a very knowledgeable friend. I consider his counsel very important,” Trump wrote.<\/p>\n
Trump\u2019s effort to create a private sounding board of associates and allies is the latest example of how he is broadening his outreach beyond the small team of policy aides who work on his campaign. And it underscores how the Republican establishment, which once firmly opposed his candidacy, is beginning to have warmer relations with the candidate, especially as his chances of clinching the nomination grow with each primary win.<\/p>\n
Giuliani, 71, ran unsuccessfully for the GOP nomination in 2008 but remains popular with many Republicans for his leadership in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.<\/p>\n
Giuliani described his talks with Trump as \u201cfrank\u201d but encouraging. \u201cI think he could over perform in a general election similar to what Reagan did in 1980, bringing in new people,\u201d he said. \u201cHe has that ability. On the other hand, I\u2019ve told him when I\u2019ve disagreed, telling him when I think he may be hurting himself.\u201d<\/p>\n
Giuliani mentioned Trump\u2019s criticism of former president George W. Bush at a recent debate as one particular area where they do not overlap. \u201cI thank God that George W. Bush was president during 9\/11,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe way this works is that it\u2019s an open line, him to me, me to him, him to others. He is calling a lot of people, listening but doing what he thinks he needs to do. He listens respectfully, say he\u2019ll consider whatever it is you send him. Sometimes he uses what we send him, sometime he doesn\u2019t,\u201d Giuliani said.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know, he\u2019s very good,\u201d Giuliani said when asked about Trump\u2019s grasp of complex policy. \u201cIt\u2019s clear that he has an exceptionally good understanding of how the economy affects our foreign policy. He understands what\u2019s happening with China, how they could stop North Korea in a heartbeat. This idea that he\u2019s only familiar with slogans, it\u2019s not accurate at all.\u201d<\/p>\n
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