Donald Trump set off a firestorm on Friday with comments during a Bloomberg interview that implied George W. Bush was somehow to blame for the 9-11 terrorist attacks that killed 3,000 Americans.
NBC News reported:
Presidential candidate Donald Trump set off another political firestorm Friday after implying that President George W. Bush was to blame for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, drawing the ire of his Republican rivals.
“”When you talk about George Bush, I mean, say what you want, the World Trade Center came down during his time,” Trump said in an interview with Bloomberg TV.
The comment reignited a long-standing Twitter feud with the 43rd president’s brother Jeb Bush, who called Trump “pathetic.”
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
“We were attacked & my brother kept us safe,” Jeb Bush tweeted. Earlier in the day, he had criticized Trump on Twitter for failing to give specifics about his presidential platform.
“No @JebBush, you’re pathetic for saying nothing happened during your brother’s term when the World Trade Center was attacked and came down,” Trump fired back.
.@JebBush, like it or not, our country needs more energy and spirit than you can provide! #MakeAmericaGreatAgain
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 17, 2015
Later Friday, fellow 2016 contender Ben Carson also weighed in during a campaign stop in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia.
“I think it’s ridiculous to suggest [Bush] was responsible for that,” he said, but he gave the fiery billionaire the benefit of the doubt, adding he’d be “surprised” if Trump was blaming Bush for the attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people.