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Trump’s 9/11 Prediction Claim Resurfaces Amid Middle East Tensions
US President Donald Trump revived a long-disputed claim during a Monday press briefing focused on the ongoing US-Israel conflict with Iran, asserting he had predicted Osama bin Laden would attack the World Trade Center before the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
“I predicted Osama bin Laden would knock out the World Trade Center. I made that prediction a year before he did it,” Trump stated from the Oval Office. “I wrote it in a book.”
The book in question, “The America We Deserve,” was published approximately 18 months before the 9/11 attacks. While it does mention both Osama bin Laden and the World Trade Center, fact-checkers at the Associated Press have repeatedly noted that these references do not constitute the specific prediction Trump claims to have made.
In the 2000 publication, Trump criticized then-President Bill Clinton’s foreign policy approach, writing: “One day we’re told that a shadowy figure with no fixed address named Osama bin Laden is public enemy Number One, and U.S. jetfighters lay waste to his camp in Afghanistan. He escapes back under some rock, and a few news cycles later it’s on to a new enemy and new crisis.”
The book does contain a passage warning that America faced the risk of a terrorist attack that would dwarf the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. That earlier attack involved a 606-kg van bomb detonated beneath the North Tower, intended to collapse it onto the South Tower. While the 1993 plot failed to bring down the towers, it killed six people and injured over 1,000.
Trump has amplified this claim repeatedly over the years. In 2018, during his first term as president, he took to Twitter (now X): “I pointed him [Laden] out in my book just BEFORE the attack on the World Trade Center.”
The 2018 statement came in response to criticism from Admiral William McRaven, the retired commander who oversaw the 2011 U.S. special operations mission that killed bin Laden in Pakistan. McRaven had criticized Trump’s frequent attacks on the media, prompting Trump’s defensive response.
“Of course we should have captured Osama Bin Laden long before we did,” Trump wrote then. “I pointed him out in my book just BEFORE the attack on the World Trade Center. President Clinton famously missed his shot. We paid Pakistan Billions of Dollars & they never told us he was living there. Fools!”
On Tuesday, Trump further embellished his narrative, claiming he had advised the administration to “take him [bin Laden] out” – a directive that does not appear in his book, according to AP fact-checkers.
Trump has also previously stated that “nobody really knew who he [bin Laden] was” when he made these supposed predictions. This assertion contradicts historical fact, as bin Laden was well-known to American intelligence agencies, particularly the CIA, which had interactions with him during the U.S.-backed resistance to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan during the 1980s.
The recycling of this claim comes as Trump navigates complex foreign policy discussions surrounding the Middle East, particularly tensions involving the United States, Israel and Iran – issues that will likely feature prominently in the upcoming presidential election campaign.
While presidents often face scrutiny over their historical statements, Trump’s repeated assertions about predicting 9/11 represent a pattern of retrofitting past statements to suggest prescience about major historical events, a tendency fact-checkers have frequently identified throughout his political career.
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12 Comments
This seems like another case of Trump embellishing or misrepresenting past statements to bolster his own image. The fact-checkers clearly found no evidence to support his specific 9/11 prediction claim.
You’re right, it’s important not to take political figures’ claims at face value, especially when they involve unverified historical details. Rigorous fact-checking is crucial.
This seems like yet another example of Trump trying to rewrite history to make himself look more prescient or influential than the facts support. Fact-checkers play an important role in debunking such claims.
Interesting how Trump claimed to have predicted 9/11 in a book, but fact-checkers found no such specific prediction. Seems like an exaggerated or false claim on his part.
While Trump’s book may have mentioned bin Laden and the WTC, the lack of a specific 9/11 prediction as he’s now claiming suggests he’s exaggerating or misrepresenting the book’s contents. Rigorous fact-checking is needed.
Hmm, this is a curious case. While Trump’s book may have mentioned bin Laden and the WTC, the fact that it didn’t contain the specific 9/11 prediction he’s now claiming casts doubt on his statement.
I’m curious to read more about the contents of Trump’s 1997 book and how it actually discussed bin Laden and the WTC, versus his current claims about predicting the 9/11 attacks.
It’s concerning when political leaders make unsubstantiated claims about past events, especially regarding major tragedies like 9/11. Fact-checking is crucial to hold them accountable and maintain trust in our institutions.
Trump has a history of making bold, unsubstantiated claims about his past actions and predictions. It’s good to see journalists fact-checking his latest assertion about foreseeing the 9/11 attacks.
Absolutely. Holding public figures accountable for their statements, especially those related to major historical events, is vital for maintaining trust in our institutions and leaders.
This is another example of Trump making unsubstantiated historical claims. His book mentioned bin Laden and the WTC, but did not contain the specific prediction he’s now asserting.
Indeed, it’s concerning when political leaders make unsupported claims about past events. Fact-checking is important to hold them accountable.