Trump claimed he warned about Osama bin Laden a year before 9/11, citing his 2000 book The America We Deserve. He also praised Navy SEALs for 2011 raid that killed bin Laden. Critics question his claims noting the book only mentioned Osama as threat.
US President Donald Trump has claimed that he warned about Osama bin Laden as a major threat to the United States a full year before the 9/11 attacks. Speaking to Navy personnel in Norfolk, Virginia, during a celebration marking the US Navy’s 250th anniversary, Trump said he had mentioned bin Laden in his 2000 book, The America We Deserve.
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“I said, ‘You gotta watch Osama Bin Laden,’ and nobody listened. We got to take a little credit because nobody else is going to give it to me,” Trump said. He added that his warnings about bin Laden came before the September 11, 2001 attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people.
Trump praises Navy SEALs for killing bin Laden
During his remarks, Trump also praised the US Navy SEALs for the 2011 operation that killed bin Laden in Abbottabad, Pakistan. “History will never forget that it was the SEALs who stormed the compound and put a bullet in his head,” Trump said. He further claimed that bin Laden’s body was dumped at sea by the Navy, aboard the USS Carl Vinson.
The operation was authorised by then-President Barack Obama and marked a major milestone in the fight against al-Qaeda. Trump used the occasion to highlight the bravery of the Navy personnel and link his earlier warnings about bin Laden to the success of the mission.
Context of the book and Trump’s claims
Trump’s book, The America We Deserve, was published in January 2000 while he campaigned for president on the Reform Party ticket. In the book, he identified bin Laden as a danger to US national security, but it did not predict the 9/11 attacks or suggest they were imminent.
The book also covered other policy proposals, including a wealth tax on the richest Americans and support for universal health care. Some of these proposals were later abandoned when Trump ran for president in 2016. Critics have questioned the accuracy of Trump’s claim that he foresaw the attacks, noting that the book mentions bin Laden only briefly without referencing a specific threat to the World Trade Center.
Reactions and debate over Trump’s statements
Trump’s repeated claims of national security foresight have reignited debate. Supporters argue he demonstrated early awareness of al-Qaeda’s threat, while critics point out the timing and context of his statements are misleading.
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Many noted that identifying bin Laden as a potential danger is not the same as predicting the exact attacks on 11 September 2001. Others also highlighted that policy proposals in 2000 were speculative, as Trump was not in government at the time.
The 9/11 attacks and Osama bin Laden
The 9/11 attacks involved 19 al-Qaeda terrorists who hijacked four commercial airliners. Two planes struck the World Trade Center towers in New York City, one hit the Pentagon in Virginia, and one crashed in a field in Pennsylvania after passengers intervened. Nearly 3,000 people died in the attacks, marking the deadliest terror attack on US soil.
Bin Laden continued to lead al-Qaeda until the 2011 Navy SEAL operation in Pakistan, which Trump referenced during his speech. The raid was a key moment in the US counterterrorism effort and remains a defining event in recent American history.
By claiming he had warned about bin Laden, Trump is attempting to frame himself as a forward-thinking leader who anticipated major security threats. He tied this to praise for the military, particularly the Navy SEALs, to highlight both his claimed foresight and respect for the armed forces.