It is the poison that infects all those who align themselves too closely with Trump. He draws out the ugly parts of people, and we are seeing legends fall.

Rudy Giuliani, once hailed as “America’s mayor,” because of his resolve and strength after the 9/11 terrorist attack on New York City, has been a vocal surrogate and close adviser to his friend, Donald Trump.

There have already been so many unfortunate reports of just how invested in the Trump Travelling Freak Show Giuliani has become, and it is killing any scant memories of good the ex-mayor may have had left.

An example of that is a recent speech the mayor was to deliver before a financial services group, the Commercial Finance Association.

During the speech, something went really wrong with Giuliani’s brain. So wrong, in fact, that CEO of the CFA, Bob Trojan, was forced to send out an apology to the members who were witness to Giuliani’s Trumpidian breakdown.

“At CFA’s 40 Under 40 Awards last Thursday night, keynote speaker Rudolph Giuliani veered sharply off course from the leadership message he agreed to deliver and presented unscripted personal opinions which were independent of CFA’s political position or core values,” Trojan wrote in the email, which was obtained by the Observer.

“While we, the event organizers, made every attempt to direct Mr. Giuliani’s remarks ahead of time to focus on leadership, for which he is renowned and has authored a book, there is always the possibility of such a surprise at a live event.”

“For those of you who were offended by Mr. Giuliani’s remarks, please accept my sincere apology,” Trojan added.

So what could have possibly been so awful that an apology was warranted?

Well, if Trump can insult Mexicans, so can his surrogates, right?

“Rudy talked about immigration and made a really, really inappropriate comment about the quote-unquote Mexicans in the kitchen at the Waldorf,” said the unidentified attendee. “It was bad. You could hear a pin drop. I think he was looking for applause.”

While the actual remarks weren’t clear, some are saying he made a reference to Mexicans coming to the country illegally, in order to work in kitchens.

This was at a forum for young leaders, who were there to hear about leadership and Giuliani’s experiences. It wasn’t the place for an alt-right, Trump campaign speech.

The fractures this campaign is causing across our nation will take a very long time to heal, and it is truly sad to see once-respected leaders so willing to be used as tools to further the national coarsening.