Trump doubles down: Thousands in NJ cheered on 9/11

GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump is doubling down on comments that thousands of people in parts of New Jersey with large Arab populations cheered on 9/11.

Trump said at a rally on Saturday in Birmingham, Ala., that he watched as the World Trade Center “came tumbling down.”

{mosads}“And I watched in Jersey City, New Jersey, where thousands and thousands of people were cheering as that building was coming down,” he added. “Thousands of people were cheering.”

ABC “This Week” host George Stephanopoulos asked Trump on Sunday if he misspoke, noting that “police say that didn’t happen and all those rumors have been on the Internet for some time.”

“It did happen. I saw it, “ Trump said. “It was on television. I saw it.”

“George, it did happen,” Trump persisted.

“There were people that were cheering on the other side of New Jersey, where you have large Arab populations,” he said. “They were cheering as the World Trade Center came down.

“I know it might be not politically correct for you to talk about it, but there were people cheering … as those buildings came down,” Trump added. “And that tells you something.

“There were people over in New Jersey that were watching it, a heavy Arab population, that were cheering as the buildings came down. Not good.”

“It is unfortunate that Donald Trump is giving new life to long-debunked conspiracy theories about 9/11,” the Anti-Defamation League said in statement to Buzzfeed.

“His comments are irresponsible — not to mention factually challenged.”

This report was updated at 1:47 p.m.