ABC's George Stephanopoulos Fact-Checks Donald Trumps False Claim Thousands Of Arab-Americans Cheered In The Streets Following 9/11

Stephanopoulos On Trump's Lie: “The Police Have Said It Didn't Happen”

From the November 22 edition of ABC's This Week with George Stephanopoulos:

Video file

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS (HOST): You raised some eyebrows yesterday with comments you made at your latest rally. I want to show them, relating to 9/11.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP: Hey, I watched when the World Trade Center came tumbling down. And I watched in Jersey City, New Jersey, where thousands and thousands of people were cheering as that building was coming down. Thousands of people were cheering.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STEPHANOPOULOS: You know, the police say that didn't happen and all those rumors have been on the Internet for some time. So did you misspeak yesterday?

TRUMP: It did happen. I saw it.

STEPHANOPOULOS: You saw that --

TRUMP: It was on television. I saw it.

STEPHANOPOULOS: -- with your own eyes?

TRUMP: George, it did happen.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Police say it didn't happen.

TRUMP: There were people that were cheering on the other side of New Jersey, where you have large Arab populations. They were cheering as the World Trade Center came down. I know it might be not politically correct for you to talk about it, but there were people cheering as that building came down -- as those buildings came down. And that tells you something. It was well covered at the time, George. Now, I know they don't like to talk about it, but it was well covered at the time. There were people over in New Jersey that were watching it, a heavy Arab population, that were cheering as the buildings came down. Not good.

STEPHANOPOULOS: As I said, the police have said it didn't happen.

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