Trump Recounts Pre-9/11 Bin Laden Warning

Donald Trump claimed he issued a warning about Osama bin Laden before the 9/11 attacks. The former president spoke to hundreds of Navy personnel during the Navy 250 Celebration on Sunday, October 5. He repeated that he could have prevented the attacks if people had listened to him.

Speaking to the Navy: A Mix of Topics

While discussing a UFC event at the White House, Trump shifted to his past warnings about the founder of al-Qaeda. He said:

“Please remember I wrote about Osama bin Laden exactly one year before he blew up the World Trade Centre, and I said, ‘you gotta watch Osama bin Laden!’”

He added that the “fake news” would not allow him to make the statement unless it were true. He referenced telling Pete Hegseth about bin Laden a year in advance.

Trump References His Book

Trump continued:

“I said one year before, in the book I wrote—whatever the hell the title, I can’t tell you. But there’s a page devoted to the fact that I saw somebody named Osama bin Laden and I didn’t like it. ‘You gotta take care of him.’ They didn’t do it, and a year later, he blew up the World Trade Centre.”

He added that he deserves some credit, saying:

“If they don’t give you credit, just take it yourself.”

Context: The 2000 Book

Trump’s remarks refer to his 2000 book, The America We Deserve, written more than 18 months before 9/11. While the book briefly mentioned bin Laden, it did not predict the attacks. Instead, it identified bin Laden as a danger to U.S. national security.

Trump wrote about the U.S. facing “a bewildering series of smaller crises, flash points, standoffs, and hotspots.” On bin Laden, he stated:

“One day we’re told that a shadowy figure with no fixed address named Osama bin-Laden is public enemy number one, and U.S. jet fighters lay waste to his camp in Afghanistan. He escapes back under some rock, and a few news cycles later it’s on to a new enemy and new crisis.”

Takeaway

While Trump suggested he foresaw the threat posed by bin Laden, the book and his public statements do not indicate a specific prediction of the 9/11 attacks. Rather, they reflect concerns about emerging global threats and U.S. national security at the time.