Matthews advocated moving U.N. to World Trade Center site so that another terrorist attack would “force these guys to choose sides”

Written by Joe Brown

Published

Chris Matthews suggested moving the United Nations into the new buildings being constructed at the site of the World Trade Center, so that if “if anything happens again, they [terrorists] decide to try it again, the whole world is captive to it.” Matthews added that he “would love that” because “then you'd be blowing up the whole world, not just us. And you'd force these guys to choose sides, the U.N.”


During an interview with Rep. Peter King (R-NY) on the May 3 edition of MSNBC's Hardball, host Chris Matthews suggested moving the United Nations into the new buildings being constructed at the site of New York's World Trade Center, so that “if anything happens again, they [terrorists] decide to try it again, the whole world is captive to it.” Matthews added that he “would love that” because “then you'd be blowing up the whole world, not just us. And you'd force these guys to choose sides, the U.N.” King agreed, stating: “It would be a good idea to give them [the U.N.] a wake-up call, to let them know what we have to live with day in and day out, while they are up there on 42nd Street,” the site of the current U.N. headquarters in New York, which King said was “basically out of the line of fire.”

When King agreed with Matthews's suggestion, Matthews praised him as “a man of great dignity and great prudence.”

From the 7 p.m. ET hour of the May 3 edition of MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews:

MATTHEWS: Can I make a suggestion to you?

KING: Yes, sir.

MATTHEWS: 'Cause we're friends.

KING: Yes.

MATTHEWS: Why don't they get U.N. -- now that you have got plans now. [Developer] Larry Silverstein has got plans to build the new World Trade Center. It was approved, it was in the paper today. They are going to actually have a new World Trade Center. They are going to fill up all of those spaces and have big, tall buildings. Why don't they make the United Nations go down there and be there? So that if anything happens again, they decide to try it again, the whole world's captive to it? I would love that.

KING: Actually, it is, you know, again --

MATTHEWS: Wouldn't it be good? Because then you'd be blowing up the whole world, not just us. And you'd force these guys to choose sides, the U.N.

KING: And it would make the U.N. really focus. It would not just be an academic debate anymore. This would be for real.

MATTHEWS: Terrorism's for real, guys.

KING: It would really be life and death. It would not just be New Yorkers or Americans, yes.

MATTHEWS: And I could put you down for putting the U.N. at the new World Trade Center.

KING: I think it would be, again -- yeah. It would be a good idea to give them a wake-up call, to let them know what we have to live with day in and day out, while they're up there on 42nd Street and basically out of the line of fire.

MATTHEWS: You are a man of great dignity and great prudence, sir. Thank you, Peter King, the United States congressman from New York.