Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani said Monday that Donald Trump is fighting the one-sided media on behalf of the American people.

"[H]is effort against the press is not for him. His effort against the press is fighting for the American people," Giuliani said on Fox News, referring to Trump's Sunday suggestion that reporting about him by news media is not "freedom of the press."

A New York Times report Saturday said Trump's mood has moved to "often sullen and erratic," and interviews with more than 20 Republicans close to his campaign described their nominee as "exhausted, frustrated and still bewildered by fine points of the political process and why his incendiary approach seems to be sputtering." But Giuliani rejected that picture of Trump's campaign.

"I played golf with him yesterday, he's in great shape," Giuliani said. "I spent the whole day with him, he was in. ... He is in better shape then anybody else in the campaign in terms of focus, in terms of being totally optimistic that he's gonna win."

"The reality is, the press by being so one-sided, and by writing an article like that which is largely untrue, and then putting three articles the day before, anti-Trump on the front page ..." Giuliani said. "He is saying the American people are not getting the facts they're entitled to, they're not getting both sides of the story."

When asked why Trump is continuing to make controversial remarks, such as calling President Obama the founder of the Islamic State, Giuliani said it's a logical press strategy.

"I like that debate," Giuliani said. "It's a way of getting attention in a press that is against him."

Giuliani added that the press is overplaying reports that Trump is unfocused.

"The reality is that he's determined to win," Giuliani said.