A long Politico piece that looks at what Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton were doing on Sept. 11, 2001* and how it shaped them, begins with an interesting little nugget that few people probably remember. On that fateful day, when everyone was struggling to understand what had just happened, Trump seemingly had no hesitation to brag about the fact that his building was now the tallest in Lower Manhattan. It happened during an interview with WWOR and Politico points out that what seems striking about that interview was “Trump’s composure and tone.” A candidate known for his bluster, he avoided talking about retribution and even avoided reaching any conclusions about who was to blame.

In the middle of the 10-minute conversation though, Trump suddenly started talking about the size of 40 Wall Street, his 71-story building that was blocks away from the Twin Towers. And the fact that the attack and resulting collapse of the towers resulted in “an amazing phone call,” Trump said. “40 Wall Street actually was the second-tallest building in downtown Manhattan, and it was actually, before the World Trade Center, was the tallest,” he said. “And then, when they built the World Trade Center, it became known as the second-tallest. And now it’s the tallest.”

Trump interview on 9/11: "[My building] was the 2nd-tallest in Manhattan... And now it’s the tallest." #NeverForget pic.twitter.com/47WUsSKLRu — Ess (@ScottyLiterati) September 11, 2016

Here is the full interview that makes clear that portion was only a small part of a 10-minute interview. (The relevant portion starts at 1:52.) In another part of the interview (at around the six-minute mark), you can hear Trump speculate that the planes were carrying bombs.

In other Sept. 11–related Trump news, the New York Daily News reports that Trump’s claim that he received $150,000 in federal funds as reimbursement for his help on that day is false. Records show that Trump’s company asked for the cash for “rent loss,” “cleanup,” and “repair.” The money was meant to go to businesses in the area and help them rebuild, not as any kind of refund for assistance to the victims on that day.

Correction, Sept. 11, 2016: This piece originally misstated that the Politico article looked at what Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton were doing on Sept. 11, 2011. It covered what they were doing on Sept. 11, 2001.

Read more Slate coverage of the 2016 campaign.



