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Trump, who has
made no secret of his dislike of the Bush family and has
frequently baited rival candidate Jeb Bush, George W.'s brother,
made the comment in a television interview.
"When you talk about George Bush, I mean, say what you want, the
World Trade Center came down during his time," Trump told
Bloomberg Television.
When interviewer Stephanie Ruhle told Trump, "Hold on, you can't
blame George Bush for that", Trump refused to back down.
"He was president, okay? Blame him, or don't blame him, but he
was president. The World Trade Center came down during his
reign," Trump said of the twin towers that were brought down by
Islamist militants in hijacked planes.
Trump's outburst was similar to his comment last summer that
Republican Senator John McCain was not a hero because he had
been captured during the Vietnam War.
McCain, the 2008 Republican presidential nominee, was piloting a
fighter jet on a bombing mission over Hanoi when it was shot
down, and he spent five and a half years in a prisoner-of-war
camp.
George W. Bush generally receives high marks from Americans for
his response to the 9/11 attacks and for preventing another
attack on American soil during his eight years in the White
House.
Jeb Bush reacted swiftly to Trump's charge.
"How pathetic for @realdonaldtrump to criticize the president
for 9/11. We were attacked & my brother kept us safe," Bush
tweeted.
Trump's tendency toward such rhetoric has not hurt his ratings
so far, with polls of Republican voters showing he leads the
15-candidate field.
(Editing by Louise Ireland)
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