Trump on 9/11 Claim: 'I Have the World's Greatest Memory'

He demands apology after account questioned
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 24, 2015 3:55 AM CST
Updated Nov 24, 2015 6:03 AM CST
Trump on 9/11 Claim: 'I Have the World's Greatest Memory'
Donald Trump speaks during a rally at the Greater Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, Ohio, on Monday.   (AP Photo/Paul Vernon)

The big issue on the campaign trail on Monday was what Donald Trump claims he saw on TV news 14 years ago. Trump continued to insist that he saw "thousands" of Muslims celebrating in New Jersey during the 9/11 attacks and said he had received hundreds of phone calls and tweets of support, Politico reports. No video or other proof of what Trump claims he saw surfaced, however, and in a phone call to NBC News Monday afternoon, he made another two dubious claims: "I have the world's greatest memory," he said. "It's one thing everyone agrees on." Asked by ABC News if he had seen footage of American Muslims cheering on 9/11, Ben Carson initially said yes, but his campaign soon reversed and said he had actually been thinking of footage of celebrations in the Middle East.

Other candidates rejected Trump's claim, including Marco Rubio, who said, "It's not true and there's plenty of fact-checks to prove that it isn't," CNN reports. As law enforcement and government officials also called Trump's account of events clearly untrue, the candidate not only doubled down on his remarks, he demanded an apology, citing a Sept. 18, 2001, Washington Post article that stated New Jersey authorities detained people "allegedly seen celebrating the attacks and holding tailgate-style parties on rooftops." Serge Kovalevski, the author of the Post article, tells CNN that while much has faded from memory, he doesn't remember "anyone saying there were thousands, or even hundreds, of people celebrating." (Click to read Trump's convoluted thoughts on Syrian refugees.)

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