Trump (Again) Claims He Helped At 9/11 Attack Site

At a signing ceremony to permanently authorize the 9/11 victims compensation fund, Donald Trump once again claimed he somehow 'helped' at the World Trade Center site in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.

"I was down there also. I don't consider myself a first responder, but I was down there. I spent a lot of time down there with you."

The Washington Post has already debunked this myth: "While Trump did visit the site a couple of days after the attack and did some interviews, there is no evidence that he got down to help clear rubble, which people would certainly have remembered."

Trump suggests that he was a 9/11 First Responder pic.twitter.com/cFnVkV3wru

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 29, 2019

Trump was not "down there" during 9/11 with first responders, and the only role he played was bragging on TV that he now had the biggest building in NY once the towers fell. Oh and lying about how American Muslims reacted to 9/11. https://t.co/5ZMyudJG4l

— Joy Reid (@JoyAnnReid) July 29, 2019

This has long been proven false. What's more, everything we know about Trump is that his cowardliness would prevent him going toward danger to help anyone. Trump DID, however, take money from the 9/11 business fund and claimed he saw Muslims celebrating the attacks.

— Victoria Brownworth 🏳️‍🌈 (@VABVOX) July 29, 2019

"I was down there also, but I'm not considering myself a first responder," Trump told 9/11 responders at WH today.

Fact check: Trump was near Ground Zero in days after 9/11, claiming he had "100s of men" working to clear rubble, a claim 9/11 responders called dubious

— Jim Sciutto (@jimsciutto) July 29, 2019

I was in NYC on 9/11. He was calling in to TV shows, bragging that now he had the tallest building in downtown Manhattan. I’ll never forget it. https://t.co/AEwQyftRYW

— kristen johnston (@thekjohnston) July 29, 2019

Must See: Jon Stewart's Emotional Take-Down Of Absent Congress Members At 9/11 First Responders Hearing

Jon Stewart

Everyone seriously needs to stop and watch Jon Stewart's incredible speech before a Congressional committee regarding funding for 9/11 first responders.

Less than half the committee bothered to show up for the hearing, and an emotional Stewart lambasts those there in front of the cameras.

Congress loves to say "Never Forget," but they forgot to show up.

Watch below.

WATCH: Jon Stewart's full statement before House cmte., demanding additional funding for 9/11 victim compensation fund, which is set to expire next year.

"Your indifference cost these men and women their most valuable commodity: Time! It's the one thing they're running out of." pic.twitter.com/h0399gSIky

— NBC News (@NBCNews) June 11, 2019

CBS News reports the shaming worked:

The House Judiciary Committee unanimously passed a bill which would permanently reauthorize the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund Wednesday, the day after comedian Jon Stewart gave impassioned testimony in support of the bill in video that quickly went viral.

The bill will now go to the floor for a full vote in the House of Representatives, where it is likely to pass. It's unclear whether Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will take up the bill in the Senate, although Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said Wednesday that he was "imploring, pleading, even begging" McConnell to bring the bill to the floor as soon as it passes in the House.

News Round-Up: September 11, 2018

 Some news items you might have missed:

• The memory of 9/11 has been at the forefront of my mind all day. It was an attack on my home of many years; it was an attack on all Americans. #Remember

• A man in St.Petersburg, Florida, stabbed his friend in the neck after the two had sex.

• Game of Thrones star Kit Harington wondered to the press at the Toronto International Film Festival why we can't have an openly gay actor play a Marvel super-hero?

• Chad Griffin, president of the Human Rights Campaign, tells the Washington Post's Jonathan Capehart, "We're going to get our country back." Griffin says he's never seen such grassroots energy as we approach the midterm elections.

• Remembering Father Mychal Judge, the openly gay priest who was the first official casualty of the horrific 9/11 terror attack.

• Keiynan Lonsdale, star of The Flash and Love, Simon, asked his 837,000 fans on Instagram "Why is it deemed wrong to not wear clothes?" as he posted a nude pic.

View this post on Instagram

Dance naked, lose followers, gain leaders 💟☮️. | - ***P.s. why is it deemed wrong to not wear clothes? We’ve been taught poorly, & groomed to hold shame for ourselves, our human bodies. No matter what we look like, each of us is made to feel incorrect inside our own physical form, told that in order to survive & be a functioning, liked, & well respected person in society, we should hide this form from the world. That shit sounds whack to me. Now, I’m not at all at the confidence level to be neked in public lol, maybe one day i hope, but I’m sure as hell working on sharing & showing off my body to myself.. and it feels good.

A post shared by 🌳🌊❤️💫🌸 Keiynan Lonsdale 🔑🎶👁🌈🌳 (@keiynanlonsdale) on Sep 9, 2018 at 6:10pm PDT

Trump Begins 9/11 Anniversary Not With Inspiration But Russian Probe Twitter Rant

Donald Trump

As the world observes the 17th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks on the United States, Donald Trump began the day not with uplifting prose for the nation he's charged with leading, but by tweeting out yet another rant about the ongoing investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller into Russian interference in our 2016 election.

“We have found nothing to show collusion between President Trump & Russia, absolutely zero, but every day we get more documentation showing collusion between the FBI & DOJ, the Hillary campaign, foreign spies & Russians, incredible,” wrote the Trumpster.

“We have found nothing to show collusion between President Trump & Russia, absolutely zero, but every day we get more documentation showing collusion between the FBI & DOJ, the Hillary campaign, foreign spies & Russians, incredible.” @SaraCarterDC @LouDobbs

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 11, 2018

New Strzok-Page texts reveal “Media Leak Strategy.” @FoxNews So terrible, and NOTHING is being done at DOJ or FBI - but the world is watching, and they get it completely.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 11, 2018

“ERIC Holder could be running the Justice Department right now and it would be behaving no differently than it is.” @LouDobbs

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 11, 2018

Hours later, the current occupant of the White House tweeted this inspiring missive:

17 years since September 11th!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 11, 2018

According to reports, Trump and First Lady Melania Trump will attend a memorial in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where United flight 93 went down after passengers stood up to the terrorists.

Vice President Mike Pence attended a ceremony with Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis and Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Paul Selva at the Pentagon where another plane crashed and killed 184 in the deadly attack.

World Trade Center Subway Station Reopens In Time For 9/11 Anniversary

A 1 train pulls into the World Trade Center subway station for first time since terror attacks

As the world recognizes the 17th anniversary of the 9/11 attack on the United States, a 1 train has pulled into the subway station located directly underneath the World Trade Center for the first time since the horrific day of terror.

Costing over $158 million, the reconstruction took so long because New York City primarily focused energies on rebuilding above ground where the twin towers had stood.

For years now, the Metropolitan Transit Authority has ferried commuters via bus shuttle to South Ferry instead of Cortlandt Street.

The new station features 1,200 feet of new track and tunnel as well as a white marble mosaic by artist Ann Hamilton that incorporates raised lettering utilizing the text from the Declaration of Independence and the 1948 United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Titled "CHORUS," commuters can experience the artwork not only visually but through touch as well.

Additional improvements New Yorkers will appreciate - the subway station is air-conditioned and features digital, state of the art real-time train schedules.

MTA Chairman Joseph Lhota called the moment "a major milestone in the recovery and growth of downtown Manhattan," telling the Gothamist, "WTC Cortlandt is more than a new subway station. It is symbolic of New Yorkers’ resolve in restoring and substantially improving the entire World Trade Center site."

Watch the report below from the NYC ABC affiliate.

Remembering 9/11

In that music is always my "go-to" for emotional release, this clip of Bette Midler singing at a memorial at Yankee Stadium shortly after the horrific bombings on 9/11 encapsulates so much of what we felt then and still feel today.

Her "thank you" at the 4:30 mark say so much on behalf of so many.

As only Bette could deliver...

Rudy Giuliani Says Hillary Clinton Wasn't Present On 9/11 - Photo Proves Otherwise

Donald Trump surrogate Rudy Giuliani told a campaign crowd today that he was on site at the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, and he doesn't remember seeing then Sen. Hillary Clinton at the site.

The full statement:

Don't tell me if you said that that you remember September 11, 2001. I remember September 11, 2001. Yes, yes, you helped to get benefits for the people who were injured that day. But I heard her say she was there that day. I was there that day, I don't remember seeing Hillary Clinton there. That was like when she said she had to run through gunfire. That turned out to be,, what do we call it? A lie.

But don't tell me that you subscribe the notion that all of us who were with on September 11 and we're lucky to be alive and have lost so many friends. I lost so many friends on September 11. I think about it every day. Don't tell me you belong to our very, very tight group of "never forget." Don't tell me that.

Please note the picture above of her walking with him on 9/11.

These people say anything that crosses their minds as they address the crowds. And then the people go home and tell everyone this lie that they heard from Rudy Giuliani.

#LiarLiarPantsOnFire

Rudy Giuliani: "I was there" on 9/11, "I don't remember seeing Hillary Clinton there." https://t.co/iRB09cQ8eH

— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) October 12, 2016

President Obama Speaks At The Pentagon Remembering Those Who Died On 9/11

Pres. Obama delivers remarks at Pentagon: "We will never forget" lives lost in 9/11 attacks https://t.co/iDqLDiotLp https://t.co/R27IudaQiB

— ABC News (@ABC) September 11, 2016

Rudy Giuliani Forgets That Thing That He Mentions Every Time He Speaks

Former Mayor of New York City Rudy Guiliani somehow forgot the one thing he always remembers to mention in every speech he's made for the past 15 years.

During a speech in Youngstown, Ohio, while stumping for Donald Trump, Giuliani told the crowd that radical Islamic terrorist attacks only began under President Obama's administration.

Folks have pointed to a bump on his head, but it's really is inconceivable that Guiliani, of all people, would forget the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center towers on September 11, 2001, which happened on President George W. Bush's watch.

Somehow, Rudy says "Before Obama, we didn't have any successful radical Islamic attacks in the US."

Umm, wow.

Rudy Giuliani, mayor of NYC on 9/11: "Before Obama, we didn't have any successful radical Islamic attacks in the US" pic.twitter.com/YcSNOVeZaP

— Mashable News (@MashableNews) August 15, 2016

UPDATE: Giuliani now says he was speaking in "abbreviated language" which would explain why he totally left out the 9/11 attacks on the U.S.

“I’m not there to give a major 45-minute policy address,” he said of his Trump introduction Monday in Youngstown, Ohio, where he said plainly that “under those eight years, before Obama came along, we didn’t have any successful radical Islamic terrorist attack inside the United States.”

“You speak in somewhat abbreviated language,” Giuliani told The News Tuesday. “All human beings speak in abbreviated language at times.”

Donald Trump Praises Heroes Of 7/11

Donald Trump, speaking in Buffalo last night in advance of the New York presidential primary, praised the heroes of 7/11.

I had no idea he was such a fan of the convenience store chain.

From the clip:

“I wrote this out, and it’s very close to my heart,because I was down there and I watched our police and our firemen down at 7/11, down at the World Trade Center right after it came down. And I saw the greatest people I’ve ever seen in action.”

Of course, we all believe he must have meant to say 9/11. It's worth noting the Trumpster never corrected himself.

Donald Trump Still Has No Proof "Thousands And Thousands" Cheered On 9/11

Donald Trump, currently falling in the polls for the GOP nomination (currently 3rd now in Iowa), refuses to acknowledge he has no proof to backup his claim that on 9/11 he saw "thousands and thousands" of Muslims in New Jersey cheering at the World Trade Center being attacked.

At least Chuck Todd tries here to get a real answer from Trump: “You’re running for President of the United States! Your words matter! Truthfulness matters! Fact-based stuff matters!”

PolitiFact Rates Donald Trump "Thousands Cheered In New Jersey" Statement - PANTS ON FIRE

It comes as no surprise that the Pulitzer Prize winning website PolitiFact has researched Donald Trump's now infamous claim that "thousands and thousands" cheered in New Jersey when the World Trade Center was attacked on 9/11.

Trump said he "watched in Jersey City, N.J., where thousands and thousands of people were cheering" as the World Trade Center collapsed.

This defies basic logic. If thousands and thousands of people were celebrating the 9/11 attacks on American soil, many people beyond Trump would remember it. And in the 21st century, there would be video or visual evidence.

Instead, all we found were a couple of news articles that described rumors of celebrations that were either debunked or unproven.

Trump’s recollection of events in New Jersey in the hours after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks flies in the face of all the evidence we could find.

We rate this statement Pants on Fire.

Bolding is mine.

If you go to the link, you can read the extensive digging the folks at PolitiFact did to try and give Trump even a smidgen of leeway. But there was none to be found.

Trump even admitted to Bill O'Reilly on last night's "O'Reilly Factor" that he doesn't bother to check facts before he tweets or retweets things.

Donald Trump Claims "Thousands" Cheered In New Jersey On 9/11

Speaking at a campaign rally in Birmingham, Alabama on Saturday, Donald Trump made the ridiculous claim that he saw "thousands" cheer in New Jersey on 9/11: “I watched when the World Trade Center came tumbling down, and I watched in Jersey City, New Jersey where thousands and thousands of people were cheering as that building was coming down,” he said.

Trump doubled down on that assertion today on ABC This Week:

On Sunday, in an interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos, Trump reiterated his claim. “There were people that were cheering on the other side of New Jersey where you have large Arab populations, he said. “There were people over in New Jersey that were watching it, a heavy Arab population that were cheering as the buildings came down. Not good.”

“I know it might be not politically correct for you to talk about it, but there were people cheering as that building came down,” Trump said Sunday. “That tells you something.”

“It was well covered at the time, George. Now, I know they don’t like to talk about it, but it was well covered at the time.”

Actually, it wasn’t: according to both the Associated Press and the New York Times, there are no accounts of such demonstrations taking place in contemporary news reports.

Watch below:

Jeb Bush: It's What You Do After A Crisis That Matters

Jeb Bush keeps up his attacks on Donald Trump after the Donald said Bush bro George W. bears responsibility for 9/11.

Appearing on CNN's "State Of The Union" with Jake Tapper:

“My brother responded to a crisis, and he did it as you would hope a president would do. He united the country, he organized our country and he kept us safe. And there’s no denying that. The great majority of Americans believe that…And I don’t know why he keeps bringing this up. It doesn’t show that he’s a serious person as it relates to being commander in chief and being the architect of a foreign policy…I mean, so next week, Mr. Trump is probably going to say that FDR was around when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. It’s what you do after that matters. And that’s the sign of leadership.”

Ouch.

First of all - "it's what you do after that matters."

Jeb, no. It's keeping America safe before an attack. While I don't hold George W. personally responsible, there is the small matter of the Presidential Daily Brief of August 6, 2001 which the Bush administration ignored, 36 days before the attacks.

In addition, the pesky FBI report about mideast citizens with ties to terrorist groups taking flying lessons in the U.S.

And then, to say Hillary Clinton is responsible for the deaths of four Americans in Libya? Isn't it "what you do after that matters," Jeb?

Remembering September 11th

NYC: One World Trade Center Is Now Open

Via Gov. Andrew Cuomo Twitter account

Thirteen years after the 9/11 attacks, One World Trade Center - the tallest and most expensive building in the Western Hemisphere - is once again open for business.

From the Washington Post:

On Monday — more than 4,800 days after the 9/11 terrorist attacks felled the Twin Towers and left more than 2,700 people dead — the new 104-story skyscraper at 1 World Trade Center welcomed its first commercial tenant: About 175 employees of Conde Nast, the publishing giant that will eventually fill 24 floors of the $3.9 billion tower.

“One World Trade Center serves as a symbol of the resilience of the people of New York,” Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said in a statement. “Today, as we open its doors for the first time, we remember that strength and courage will always conquer weakness and cowardice, and that the American spirit, defended by proud New Yorkers, will not be defeated. That lesson and that example live on today as powerful as they were 13 years ago.

“This is a tremendous day for all New Yorkers, proving once again that the spirit of resurgence and community lives on stronger than ever before.”

Tweet of the Day: President Obama

Yes. That simple.

America endures. #NeverForget pic.twitter.com/IcSbGgIG7U
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) September 11, 2014

Tribute in Light before 13th Anniversary of 9/11

The moon passes through the Tribute in Light in New York before the 13th anniv. #newyork #newyorkcity @nyc @newyork pic.twitter.com/zSdr5zyoCO

— Gary Hershorn (@GaryHershorn) September 11, 2014

9/11 Museum dedication at World Trade Center site today

After 13 years, the 9/11 Museum will finally open today beginning with a dedication ceremony to be attended by President Obama and the First Lady, Mayor Bill De Blasio, former mayors Rudy Guiliani and Michael Bloomberg, Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Gov. Chris Christie, and the Clintons.

From NBC News:

The exhibitions include tens of thousands of photographs, testimonials, audio and video recordings that tell the story of 9/11 and the days that followed through the experiences of survivors, responders, area residents and eyewitnesses. "It is a museum about people and about stories," said museum director Alice Greenwald. "You can hear from the people who were there, when they were there."

Some object to the $24 admission price for the public, including 9/11 families who have said it makes the museum a “revenue-generating tourist attraction.” (Victims’ families and several other categories of visitors are allowed to see the exhibit for free.)

Revenue generated by the museum, which has a projected $60 million annual operating budget, allows the Memorial fountains and plaza to remain free and open to the public, museum officials have said. Meanwhile, the museum, a private, not-for-profit institution, is still fighting for federal funding. Efforts to secure federal funding for the 9/11 museum have been blocked in Congress.

The museum directors had hoped to open three years ago, for the 10th anniversary of the attacks, but the project has endured funding disputes, building delays and even a flood caused by Superstorm Sandy. When asked what the most contentious issue has been, museum director Greenwald answered, "Everything."

Watch below as Patricia Reilly visits the exhibition which includes memorabilia of her sister Lorraine Lee, a 37-year-old administrative assistant, who was working on the 101st floor of the World Trade Center’s South Tower when it was attacked.

September 11

Image by Total Concepts