Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani's insistence that President Obama lacked "love" for Americans drew sharp criticism from the White House, which said the mayor thoroughly "tarnished" his legacy -- referring to his leadership at the height of the September 11 attacks.

Giuliani said Obama was not "brought up" through love of the U.S., a comment that many perceived to be racist. He thought it was "a joke" to see his comment along racial lines, saying Obama "went to white schools, was brought up by a white mother and a white grandfather."

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He pointed out it is not racism but "socialism or possibly anti-colonialism."

White House press secretary Josh Earnest said he felt "sorry" for Giuliani, who defended his comments.

In a several interviews after his made his comments in a Republican gathering on Wednesday night, Giuliani repeated his attacks on the president, insisting Obama also lacked appreciation for world history.

House Democrats were quick to condemn Giuliani's words and urged Republicans to do the same. Democrat Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz said if Republicans seek to be taken seriously and to avoid past problems, then they have to stop the "nonsense."

The former mayor did say, in an interview over Fox and Friends, that he is not questioning Obama's patriotism, that the president is a patriot "for sure."

When asked by Fox's Megyn Kelly how Obama could be a patriot but also not love America, Giuliani said patriots can criticize, but Obama fell short of declaring what a great and exceptional country America is.

He added he had never seen a president like Obama before -- someone who would not hold a media briefing on "Christians slaughtered" but holds a press conference for the Ferguson shooting.

Kelly challenged him, saying liberals may not believe in American exceptionalism but it does not mean they lack love for America and that communism was an ideological view, not a hatred for a particular country.

Giuliani denied both statements. 

TagsRudy Giuliani, Barack Obama