Rudy Giuliani sparks fierce backlash after firing 'disgusting' insult towards Fani Willis at Christian event
- Giuliani spoke at the ReAwaken America Tour at a megachurch in Michigan
- Called the Fulton County DA a 'ho' and intentionally mispronounced her name
- READ MORE: Trump election interference case in Fulton County put on hold
Rudy Giuliani referred to Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis as a 'ho' during remarks at a megachurch.
The remarks last week sparked widespread backlash from Democrats who denounced the former attorney and longtime ally of Donald Trump of being 'misogynistic' against Willis, who is prosecuting the former president for election interference.
Giuliani is among the 18 co-defendants in Willis' case against Trump.
But Willis has emerged at the center of controversy in the midst of the lawsuit after it emerged she engaged in a romantic relationship with the special prosecutor she hired for the case, Nathan Wade.
While speaking at the far-right ReAwaken America Tour at Grace Christian Church in Sterling Heights, Michigan on Friday, Giuliani fiercely attacked the pronunciation of Willis' first name and called her the sexual slur.
Rudy Giuliani called Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis a 'ho' during remarks at a mega church in Michigan on Friday and intentionally mispronounced her name
'I've got two prosecutors – Fani The Ho,' Giuliani said in a video of the remarks posted by reporter Stephanie Mencimer from far-left outlet Mother Jones.
After several seconds of laughter and applause from the presumably evangelical audience, the former New York City Mayor followed-up with: 'I'm sorry. Fani Willis.'
'Fani Willis' he repeated, emphasizing the pronunciation of her name with a long 'a'.
'Now, F-A-N-I is now Fani. And I'm not calling her Fani,' he said, with the phonetic pronunciation of the DA's name 'FAWN-E.'
'I could drop the 'ho' part if she just quit and go away. But to me, if you spell your name F-A-N-I, your 'FAN-E', you're not 'FAWN-E,' he said.
The audience seemed tickled with Giuliani's attacks on Willis from the video posted to X on Saturday.
Former Congresswoman Donna Edwards said on MSNBC that Giuliani's comments are part of 'the constant dehumanizing of Black women and I think Black women see that, I think all women see that for what it is.'
'It's really disgusting,' she added.
'So Rudy Giuliani called Fani Willis a 'ho' at a right-wing Christian shindig,' Mother Jones D.C. Bureau Chief David Corn wrote on X when reposting the video. 'He seemed quite pleased with himself for this twofer of racism and misogyny.'
An account that posts attack lines against Republicans wrote: 'It turns out that Giuliani is a racist and evangelical Christians are not very Christian at all.'
The ReAwaken America Tour is a conference that travels across the U.S. and features conservative speakers who support Trump.
Willis emerged at the center of controversy in the midst of the lawsuit after it emerged she engaged in a romantic relationship with the special prosecutor she hired for the case
Nathan Wade testified during the hearing determining whether Willis should be removed from the case because of their relationship. Trump's election interference case in Fulton County was put on hold
In Fulton County, which encompasses Atlanta, Georgia, Trump is accused of interfering in the 2020 election and is facing felony prosecution.
But last week a Georgia appeals court put the trial for Trump's four criminal charges on hold to allow for a challenge related to Willis' affair with Wade.
Oral arguments were expected to be held in October in the Georgia case but they are already likely pushed off until after November due to the hold in the case – meaning the trial and ruling won't come until after the 2024 election.
Meanwhile, Trump was already found guilty of 34 criminal charges in Manhattan when the jury came back last month with the ruling in the Stormy Daniels hush money case.
