Donald Trump: 9/11 attacks happened on President Bush's watch
Donald Trump on Friday suggested that former President George W. Bush deserves some blame for the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
In an interview with Bloomberg's Stephanie Ruhle, Trump was asked how he would make the country feel safe and proud if he were president. The anchor first said Bush did so after the 2001 attacks and President Obama had to comfort the public after the Sandy Hook shooting.
"Okay, I think I have a bigger heart than all of them. I think I'm much more competent than all of them. When you talk about George Bush, I mean, say what you want, the World Trade Center came down during his time," Trump said.
Ruhle countered that Bush wasn't to blame.
"He was President, okay? Don't blame him or don't blame him, but he was President. The World Trade Center came down during his reign," Trump replied. "If you look at Sandy Hook, those people are still begging for help. It's a disaster, and it's a disaster all over the place. Government has proven to be a disaster during the Obama administration."
Bush's younger brother, Jeb, who's running for president, later called Trump "pathetic" for making that remark.
How pathetic for @realdonaldtrump to criticize the president for 9/11. We were attacked & my brother kept us safe.
— Jeb Bush (@JebBush) October 16, 2015
Jeb Bush was criticized after the first GOP presidential debate last month when he defended his brother's administration, arguing that he kept the country safe.
After the debate, Bush's campaign tweeted from his Twitter account a photo of the former president standing on rubble with first responders at Ground Zero and the quote: "When it comes to my brother, there's one thing I know for sure. He kept us safe."