But his ardent support for Mr. Trump could, alternatively, come at a cost to his legacy, as it has put Mr. Giuliani starkly at odds with other right-of-center Republican figures who have described the nominee as a dangerous threat to the nation and have refused to support him.
This is a source of deep concern to a large cadre of former Giuliani aides, people who recall him as the steely, compassionate leader of post-9/11 New York, and as the mayor who presided over a historic reduction in crime in the decade before — a period when he also denounced the most extreme elements of the Republican Party, advocated stricter gun control and signed a landmark domestic partnerships bill.
“That’s what makes it so painful to watch,” said Rick Wilson, an adviser to Mr. Giuliani’s 1997 re-election effort who is now advising a third-party candidate for president, Evan McMullin. “Trump is the kind of person that Rudy in a lot of ways would have laughed off the stage.”…
Mr. Giuliani said that he did not share all of Mr. Trump’s views, but that on the issues that mattered most, the economy and foreign policy, they were in sync. He said he believed that Mr. Trump had made adjustments in his approach, including on immigration.
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