Surprise! At the signing ceremony today for the 9/11 victims compensation fund (which was scheduled without enough notice for Democratic lawmakers to attend), narcissistic shitbag Donald "Not Exonerated" Trump (who had nothing to do with getting the legislation passed) tried to put himself heroically at the center of things, both today and on 9/11:
President Trump again pushed the envelope Monday during a signing ceremony to extend the 9/11 victims compensation fund.
“Many of those affected were firefighters, police officers and other first responders,” Trump said. “And I was down there also, but I’m not considering myself a first responder. But I was down there. I spent a lot of time down there with you.”
It is not the first time Trump has touted himself while discussing the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in comments ranging from tone-deafness to provocative to outright false or misleading...Here are just a few of the shitbag's lies over time:
On 9/11, Trump called in to a local TV station and falsely said he would have the tallest building in downtown Manhattan after the World Trade Center towers fell.
In 2005, he campaigned against what would become One World Trade Center, saying the “terrorists win” if New York built it as it was designed.
In 2011, he said he predicted the 9/11 attacks (he did not). [snip]
During the 2016 campaign, Trump falsely claimed (then doubled down on the claim while mocking a disabled reporter) that “thousands” of New Jersey Muslims celebrated the 9/11 attacks. He also said his Muslim ban would have stopped 9/11. [snip]
After the attacks, Trump was criticized for taking a $150,000 grant for his 40 Wall Street building near Ground Zero, even though he previously said the building was undamaged. [snip]
And New York City’s comptroller found no evidence that Trump gave $10,000 to 9/11 victims, despite Trump’s claims otherwise.And, in character,
While touting the bill, Trump didn’t mention that his 2019 budget, if passed, would have reduced health funding for 9/11 victims.So, what was Trump really doing on 9/11 and the days shortly thereafter? In a 2016 article, Politico has a detailed description of the actions of both Trump and then- NY Senator Hillary Clinton. It's quite a read (spoiler alert: Trump was looking for cameras and microphones to give interviews, mostly about his buildings; Clinton was acting like a leader). Then, on the one year anniversary of 9/11, Trump was on the Howard Stern radio show:
Trump that day was not on NPR. He was on Howard Stern’s show. It’s an interview that’s gotten a lot of attention of late because Stern asked Trump if he was in favor of invading Iraq, and Trump responded, “Yeah, I guess so.” Throughout this campaign Trump has insisted—contrary to that statement—that he always opposed the invasion. But before Stern asked him that, the provocative host asked him something else.
“Probably the most important question I can ask you on a day like today is: Where is Melania, and is she naked?” Stern said.
“Well,” Trump responded, as the names of the dead were being read at Ground Zero, “Melania is now in bed—I’m in my office—and as to whether or not she’s naked, I’m not 100 percent sure.”Class all the way.
