Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani on Sunday praised Donald Trump Donald John TrumpBubba Wallace to be driver of Michael Jordan, Denny Hamlin NASCAR team Graham: GOP will confirm Trump's Supreme Court nominee before the election Southwest Airlines, unions call for six-month extension of government aid MORE after a report surfaced that said the GOP nominee could have legally avoided paying federal income taxes for up to 18 years.

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"He’s a genius at how to take advantage of legal remedies that can help your company survive and grow," Giuliani said on ABC's "Meet The Press."

"I want a man who’s a genius at figuring out how to take this country, that’s — moving in the wrong direction, where we’ve had a basically jobless recovery, where we’ve had growth of less than 2 percent for two years."

Giuliani called the country's growth in the recent years "pathetic."

"Don’t you think a man who has this kind of economic genius is a lot better for the United States than a woman?" Giuliani then asked. The phrasing raised eyebrows, especially given the timing.

Before The New York Times report surfaced, the real estate magnate had been embroiled in criticism surrounding comments he made about the former Miss Universe's weight and her past — a topic Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham ClintonJoe Biden looks to expand election battleground into Trump country Biden leads Trump by 12 points among Catholic voters: poll The Hill's Campaign Report: Biden goes on offense MORE's campaign has seized on in an attempt to reflect Trump's treatment of women.

Trump kept the controversy going on Friday, when he called Alicia Machado "disgusting" and referenced an alleged sex tape — an accusation Machado dismissed as "slander and cheap lies."

But after the tax report was published Saturday night, the headlines quickly shifted.

The New York Times reported late Saturday that a $916 million loss on Trump’s 1995 income tax returns could have allowed him to legally avoid paying any federal income tax for up to 18 years.