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Rudy Giuliani said on Wednesday that President Obama doesn鈥檛 love America, according to .

That鈥檚 a pretty tough attack from somebody who used to be called 鈥淎merica鈥檚 Mayor.鈥� Speaking at a private dinner in New York, Mr. Giuliani called into question Obama鈥檚 foreign policy moves and the way the president talks about terrorism, writes Politico鈥檚 Darren Samuelsohn.

鈥淚 do not believe, and I know this is a horrible thing to say, but I do not believe that the president loves America,鈥� Giuliani reportedly said. 鈥淗e doesn鈥檛 love you. And he doesn鈥檛 love me. He wasn鈥檛 brought up the way you were brought up and I was brought up through love of this country.鈥�

Uh, OK. Bitter at all, Rudy? Or just trolling? Once you were a great hope of the Republican Party, but your 2008 campaign was a historic flop. Obama has won twice. Lots of liberals today will be sending you GIFs of in this year鈥檚 State of the Union speech.

That said there are arguably a number of levels of meaning in Giuliani鈥檚 words. He鈥檚 saying what some 鈥� not all 鈥� Republicans believe, in one way or another. Thus he鈥檚 getting a few 鈥渁ttaboys鈥� today from the right.

鈥淏arack Obama considers himself above it all, including this country. His policies are intentionally malicious to the strength and security of this nation. Rudy Giuliani is absolutely right,鈥� Erick Erickson of RedState.

On one level Giuliani鈥檚 comments can be seen as an invocation of Obama鈥檚 race, family background, and education. It walks up to the line of calling the president a 鈥淢uslim Kenyan socialist,鈥� without saying so.

Dartmouth connects it to a long string of 鈥渓oyalty smears鈥� of Obama from figures on the right. These imply, subtly or not, that this US president is an agent of the nation鈥檚 enemies. In 2013, for example, former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld answered 鈥淚 can鈥檛 tell鈥� when asked whether Obama had switched sides in the war on terror.

On another level Giuliani is raising the issue of whether the president believes in American exceptionalism, the idea that the United States is a unique force for good in the world. Many on the right have long charged that Obama talks more about the country鈥檚 faults than its virtues.

鈥淚 do hear him criticize America much more often than other American presidents,鈥� said Giuliani this morning on "Fox and Friends" as he attempted to explain his words.

Likely GOP presidential candidate Bobby Jindal has said the same thing in recent days, calling Obama 鈥渕aybe the first president ever鈥� who does not believe in the nation鈥檚 exceptional nature.

The problem with this, , is it ignores Obama鈥檚 statements. In a speech at West Point last year the president said he believed in America exceptionalism 鈥渨ith every fiber of my being.鈥�

Politicians can have reasonable disagreements about the US role in world affairs but this particular charge 鈥渟imply ignores Obama鈥檚 own words on numerous occasions,鈥� according to FactCheck.org.

Finally, Rudy Giuliani on Wednesday seemed also to take offense at Obama鈥檚 comparison of the Crusades to the Islamic State at the National Prayer Breakfast earlier this month.

The underlying dispute here is that Obama, following the lead of George W. Bush, talks about the US being at war with twisted terrorists who claim to be Muslim, not the religion itself. Giuliani agrees with those on the right who say the US needs to speak out about an essentially religious aspect of today鈥檚 battle with terrorists.

鈥淲hat鈥檚 wrong with this man that he can鈥檛 stand up and say there鈥檚 a part of Islam that鈥檚 sick?鈥� said Giuliani, according to Politico.

This is a charge that鈥檚 going to get a full airing in the 2016 presidential campaign. In fact, the Giuliani speech in general is going to play at least a bit role in those political festivities. Why? Because likely candidate Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker was among the attendees at the dinner where Giuliani made his remarks, that鈥檚 why. Reporters will be asking him his opinion of the proceedings for some time to come.