Trump knocks Bush over 9/11 comments on domestic extremism: ‘He shouldn’t be lecturing anybody!’

Former President Trump knocked former President George W. Bush on Monday for warning about domestic extremism during his speech marking the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, contending that the 43rd president “shouldn’t be lecturing anybody.”

“So interesting to watch former President Bush, who is responsible for getting us into the quicksand of the Middle East (and then not winning!), as he lectures us that terrorists on the ‘right’ are a bigger problem than those from foreign countries that hate America, and that are pouring into our Country right now,” Trump said in a statement distributed by Save America PAC.

“If that is so, why was he willing to spend trillions of dollars and be responsible for the death of perhaps millions of people? He shouldn’t be lecturing us about anything,” he added.

Trump noted that the Twin Towers “came down during his watch” and said Bush “led a failed and uninspiring presidency.”

“He shouldn’t be lecturing anybody!” Trump added.

Bush spoke on Sept. 11 during a memorial ceremony near Shanksville, Pa., where one of the four plane crashed on 9/11. He highlighted the similarities between “violent extremists abroad” and those “at home,” saying the two are “children of the same foul spirit.”

“We have seen growing evidence that the dangers to our country can come not only across borders, but from violence that gathers within,” Bush said.

“There is little cultural overlap between violent extremists abroad and violent extremists at home,” he continued. “But in their disdain for pluralism, in their disregard for human life, in their determination to defile national symbols, they are children of the same foul spirit. And it is our continuing duty to confront them.”

Bush’s comments followed warnings from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) regarding heightened security threats in the U.S. in the aftermath of America’s withdrawal from Afghanistan.

The DHS put out a bulletin last month that said the 20th anniversary of the 2011 attacks could “serve as a catalyst for acts of targeted violence,” adding that extremists may be looking to exploit the COVID-19 variants and resumption of public health measures in the U.S. as a “rationale to conduct attacks.”

This story was updated at 4:52 p.m.