Fact Check Exposes Trump’s ‘Most Vile Lie’ About 9/11 Where He Tried to ‘Steal the Grief’ of Victims

Lawrence O’Donnell of MSNBC accused Donald Trump of attempting to “steal the grief” of families who lost loved ones in the 9/11 terrorist attacks after he brutally fact-checked Trump’s claims of losing family. “Donald Trump has been lying about 9/11 since 9/11,” O’Donnell said on September 11 night, reported HuffPost . “Here is Donald Trump’s most vile lie about 9/11.”

He displayed a video of Trump declaring at a Republican debate that he had “lost hundreds of friends” on 9/11. O’Donnell fact-checked the claim and found it to be a lie and revealed he called Trump out on it at the time. During a subsequent appearance, Trump changed it to “many, many friends,” but O’Donnell called that a lie too. “Donald Trump lost zero friends on 9/11,” he said. “Donald Trump attended zero funerals of 9/11 victims. Zero. But Donald Trump tried to steal the grief of all of the families who lost someone on 9/11.” The vilest of these claims is when Trump took time to boast that his building, 40 Wall Street, now stands as the tallest after the Twin Towers was destroyed, as per an article in Forbes .

O’Donnell pointed out that United Airlines Flight 93 was on its route to the United States Capitol that morning, but instead landed in a Pennsylvania field when the passengers revolted. He then showed the video of January 6 terrorists storming into the Capitol, only inches away from a plaque recognizing those onboard that aircraft for their role in preventing the assault.

“In the 21st century, only two groups have tried to attack the United States Capitol: al Qaeda, led by Osama bin Laden, and Trump supporters, led by Donald Trump,” he said. “Only the Trump attackers actually did damage to the Capitol.”

Trump has previously also made false and exaggerated claims about his involvement in 9/11 relief efforts. On April 18, 2016, Trump informed campaign rally participants that he “helped a little bit” with other first responders to clear wreckage at Ground Zero, despite no evidence to support the argument. Forbes reports that nobody saw him or documented his help. Before signing legislation to prolong the 9/11 Victims Compensation Fund, Trump claimed he “spent a lot of time down” at Ground Zero with first responders, but according to a former FDNY chief deputy, he was not present.

Trump once told Time magazine that his organization received a $150,000 federal grant for 40 Wall Street because he allowed people affected by the attacks to use the building, but a New York Daily News investigation discovered that the money was intended for small business recovery, and the Trump Organization stated that it was used for rent loss, cleanup, and repair—not for helping people. “Donald Trump owes New Yorkers an explanation for taking funds meant for small-business owners recovering from 9/11,” said Rory Cooper, a senior adviser to #NeverTrump PAC.