Trump claims he saw people celebrating 9/11 in Jersey City

Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump on Monday said he’s owed an apology from those who have disputed his story that he watched on television as “thousands and thousands” of people in Jersey City cheered during the 9/11 attacks – an incident multiple officials and news reports say never happened.

“There were cheers of support in a few Middle Eastern countries that day, which were broadcast on television”.

Trump said it might not be politically correct to talk about it now, but that it was “well-covered at the time. And that tells you something”.

Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop forcefully denied the claim, saying Trump “has memory issues or willfully distorts the truth, either of which should be concerning for the Republican Party”.

Carson, whose own advisers have reportedly questioned his grasp of foreign policy, would appear to fall in the same boat.

In an interview on ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday, Trump doubled down on his assertion that he saw people in New Jersey – where the real-estate mogul claims there are “large Arab populations” – cheering as the World Trade Center came down.

“Somebody like Jeb, and others that are running against me – and by the way Hillary is another one; I mean, Hillary is a person who doesn’t have the strength or the stamina, in my opinion, to be president”, Trump said.

The Washington Post fact-checker called the claim “outrageous” and gave Trump four “Pinocchios”, its worst rating.

“What we were talking about is the reaction of Muslims after the 9/11 attack and if they were in a celebratory mood”.

The Associated Press, on September 17, 2001, described “rumors of rooftop celebrations of the attack by Muslims” in Jersey City. “Trump needs to understand that Jersey City will not be part of his hate campaign”.

“It did happen, I saw it”, he said. But the same report said those rumors were “unfounded”.

New Jersey is a pretty controversial city when it comes to its Muslim community.

Christie told reporters on Sunday that he was distracted on 9/11 since he was anxious about family and friends. “I remember telling Freddie to be quiet and quit the jokes, while turning my head around so the other kids couldn’t see me laughing”. The GOP hopeful then added, “I think if it had happened, I would remember it, but, you know, there could be things I forget, too”.