17 Years Ago, Donald Trump Bragged on 9/11: My Building Is Now 'the Tallest' in Lower Manhattan

A resurfacedSeptember 11, 2001interview withDonald Trumpreveals the then-real estate mogul boasting about the fact that his building had just become the tallest in Lower Manhattan after the collapse of the Twin Towers during the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

“And then, when they built the World Trade Center, it became known as the second-tallest. And now it’s the tallest,” he continued.

Trump’s entire conversation with the news station lasted around 10 minutes. He also recalled seeing the explosion from him office window, and noted, “It’s just gone and it’s just hard to believe.”

Asked how New Yorkers could endure such a tragedy, Trump said, “The big thing that you really will have to do is never forget. You just can’t forget that something like this happened.”

He was further prodded about how he would have handled the attacks if he were president. Said Trump, “Boy, would you have to take a hard line on this. This just can’t be tolerated.”

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This year, on the 17th anniversary of the terror attacks, the president came under fire for greeting supporters with a triumphant double fist pump as he arrived to a 9/11 memorial service.

Trump, 72, along with his wife, First LadyMelania Trump, 48, were in Pennsylvania, on their way to pay their respects to the fallen heroes of United Airlines Flight 93.

As more than one Twitter critic noted, Trump first marked Tuesday’s 9/11 anniversary “with an angry morning tweet about Russia and Hillary Clinton.”

Others criticized the tone of atweetthe president sent out on his way to the memorial event, which read, “17 years since September 11th!”

Last year, the president and his wife observed a moment of silence on the White House South Lawn to mark the 16th anniversary of the attacks.

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“The terrorists who attacked us thought they could incite fear and weaken our spirit but America cannot be intimidated,” Trump continued. “And those who try will soon join the long list of vanquished enemies who dared to test our mettle.”

source: people.com