PoliticsDonald Trump9/11

Donald Trump Boasted His Building Was Tallest After Towers Fell On 9/11

"When they built the World Trade Center, it became known as the second-tallest. And now it’s the tallest."
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By 

Senior Politics Reporter, HuffPost

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump bragged that his building was the tallest in New York City hours after the World Trade Center towers fell on Sept. 11, 2001.

Audio of the real estate mogul’s comments was obtained and published by Politico reporter Michael Kruse on Saturday. In the middle of a 10-minute conversation with local television station WWOR, Trump took the opportunity to plug his 71-story skyscraper located in the financial district, just blocks away from the doomed towers.

“40 Wall Street actually was the second-tallest building in downtown Manhattan, and it was actually, before the World Trade Center, was the tallest — and then, when they built the World Trade Center, it became known as the second-tallest. And now it’s the tallest,” he says in the clip, as footage of the towers falling rolls on screen.

Trump has a habit of stirring up controversy regarding the Sept. 11 attacks. The New York billionaire has previously called the newly built 1 World Trade Center “disgusting” and “a piece of junk.” Last year, he claimed, without offering evidence, that “thousands” of Muslims in New Jersey cheered the 9/11 attacks. And he has a very long history of trying to make Sept. 11 all about himself.

Editor’s note: Donald Trump regularly incites political violence and is a serial liar, rampant xenophobe, racist, misogynist and birther who has repeatedly pledged to ban all Muslims — 1.6 billion members of an entire religion — from entering the U.S.

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Before You Go

10 Brutal Things Jon Stewart Said About Congress And 9/11
Jon Stewart, Rich Palmer, and John Feal.(01 of10)
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"I almost think when they [politicians] hold up 9/11 politically for themselves, I think they’re doing it in a way that disconnects it from human emotion somehow, and they do the same with the first responders -- somehow they think of it as a symbol, but not people." -- Jon Stewart (credit:Michael McAuliff)
John Feal, Jon Stewart, and Kenny Specht on Capitol Hill(02 of10)
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"I don’t have the depth of character that these guys have. As I said to one of the people down there, all I have is a camera and an inherent sense of dickishness. If that can be useful in any way, I’m honored that that monkey trick can get them some attention. But for the media, for the news, it shouldn’t just be about the monkey all the time." -- Jon Stewart (credit:Michael McAuliff)
John Feal and Jon Stewart at a rally.(03 of10)
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"What’s so peculiar is everything that occurs down there [in Congress] is symbolic of principle. You won’t find a person there without an American flag pin, or who hasn’t made some ceremonial pitch about 9/11 and the heroes and America and exceptionalism. But when it comes down to the individuals who make up that exceptionalism, they don’t have time for them. They’re not even interested in it." -- Jon Stewart (credit:Michael McAuliff)
Ray Pfeifer shows Jon Stewart his 9/11 memorial cards.(04 of10)
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Ray Pfeifer "makes his pitch and he doesn’t do it with bitterness. He should be above them [politicians]. So, that seeing him in some way prostrate before them... that’s the part that I think, to see him have to go to them -- a man of that real integrity and real stature and real courage and real principle -- to see him hat in had asking for something, that is what I think is so angering to me." -- Jon Stewart (credit:Michael McAuliff)
FDNY Deputy Chief Richard Alles with Jon Stewart and responders.(05 of10)
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"The fact that 19 people [the 9/11 hijackers] could create that kind of chaos and damage and destruction and death, can really make you feel as though, 'Oh shit, this is going down, this is about to unravel.' So the idea that hundreds, thousands, would rush towards that to help is the thing that brought balance to my world view again and perspective. I could step back and go, 'Right, we vastly outnumber these assholes. and the courageous amongst us, not everybody, but there’s a hell of a lot more than them'... Knowing that we had those people made it seem less tenuous, like we were less on the precipice. So to then have that very thing that was a bulwark against darkness and nihilism be treated callously, or cavalierly, is so galling." (credit:Michael McAuliff)
Jon Stewart with 9/11 responders.(06 of10)
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"I think if you said to those guys, 'Hey man, you’re going to run into these buildings, it’s going to be a shit show. and you’re going to spend the next 10 months of your life standing in a pile of poison and remains, and it’s going to haunt you, and your government is going to make you fight to keep your family from going bankrupt while you treat whatever it is that you got from doing this, would you do it again?' I would just almost guarantee they’d all go 'Yup.' Not even a question." -- Jon Stewart (credit:Michael McAuliff)
Kenny Anderson and Ray Pfeifer at Mitch McConnell's office.(07 of10)
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Mitch McConnell "had the opportunity ... personally to give them the respect and compassion that they deserve, and he didn’t. Not even in the meeting, when he finally did meet them. How many times did we say to them [congressional leaders] during that week you could go right out to a podium right now, have these guys around you, and go, 'Look, we have a lot of political bullshit that we’re dealing with down here, and this and that and horse trading. These guys won’t be a part of that. We’re not going to make our first responders suffer... We have too much respect for these men and women to let that be done. They didn’t. They were repeatedly asked to do something like that. They didn’t." -- Jon Stewart (credit:Michael McAuliff)
Responders and Jon Stewart at a rally in December.(08 of10)
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"The most impressive thing is to watch those guys. I know that a guy like Ray [Pfeifer], a guy like [John] Feal, a guy like Kenny [Specht], they’re happy tonight that they brought some ease to their fellow first responders this Christmas. They’re not happy for themselves. They’re happy that they brought some easing of burden to everyone that they know is suffering for it. That’s the difference. That’s what is so impressive about all of them, as they walked the halls. I know they weren’t walking for themselves. They were walking for everybody else." -- Jon Stewart (credit:Michael McAuliff)
Sen. Rob Portman talks to Ray Pfeifer(09 of10)
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"$350 billion in corporate tax cuts, permanent, and they were busting these guys’ balls for a 'pay-for.' I’ll never forget in that hallway, Rob Portman going, 'Hey, me, I’m a numbers guy.' Really? Well, wouldn’t a numbers guy go, 'Oh $350 billion? Oh yeah, OK, we don’t need that, you should give it to those guys. That’s easy. Done." (credit:Michael McAuliff)
Jon Stewart on Capitol Hill(10 of10)
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"The difference between when there were cameras there and when there weren’t was that there was no accountability for these guys [lawmakers]. They treated them [9/11 responders] differently and sometimes contemptuously, as though they were a burden on their day. And when they felt like they could get away with it, they did. It’s shocking." -- Jon Stewart. (credit:Michael McAuliff)
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