Donald Trump interview 2 days after 9/11 at ground zero
I: Now just a few moments ago Donald trump passed through here, so we had a minute to talk with him. Let’s roll that tape you can see what he had to say.
T: For you well, I’ve never seen anything like it. I’ve seen two huge hundred and ten story buildings that are reduced to rubble. Thousands and thousands of lives. I just got to see something that I’ve never seen before. I have hundreds of men inside working right now. And we’re bringing down another hundred and twenty five in a little while, and they’ve never done work like this before. and they’re hardworking people, but they’ve never seen anything like it, and they’ve never they’ve never done work like this before. It’s terrible.
I: Tell me what it’s like at ground zero tell me about the workers that you saw and what they’re doing there.
T: Well, not only is it devastation. But it’s very dangerous cuz every few minutes a whistle would go off and everybody would just run because you have all the buildings around. Which are in such a weakened state that people just don’t know and so they just have to take off and then they come back And they’re working under fifty story buildings that you don’t know if they’re gonna fall down. So it’s a terrible thing for the workers, and it’s a terrible thing for the world really.
I: How have you spoken to any of your men ? Do you know how they’re reacting to this because emotionally this must be so incredibly difficult.
T: Well there are a lot of them, but they’ve never seen bodies like this. I mean the bodies all over the, I mean the great thing when they find somebody that’s alive like the five firemen that they just found a little while ago, so that’s the great thing and that’s what they’re all striving for, but generally speaking, that’s not what the case. That’s not the case So they are working very very hard. But it’s a very depressing situation for these folks .
I: As you walked around and as you saw the pile of rubble. There are thousands of families out there. Who are hoping that someone might be in a pocket somewhere still alive still breathing waiting to be dug up as. You assess that damage from your perspective. Do you believe that’s possible?
T: Well, I would certainly not want to be the one to say it’s not bust well certainly it’s it’s a tough situation, but you can’t give up hope because there’s always hope I mean the five men. I’m sure their families thought that they probably were gone and now they walk in to do a couple of them walked away after they were dug out so there probably are some more people in there and therefore you can’t give up hope?
I: You’ve had an impact the skyline of New York. What is it like as you see it now.
T: It’s like a whole different skyline. It’s like a whole different city in world. I cannot believe the sight of lower, Manhattan without the world trade Center and therefore we have to rebuild not necessarily in that form but we have to rebuild at least as good and maybe better.
I: Just finally can you tell me emotionally as you walked around? We’ve we’ve heard some of the stories from the firemen. They’re so exhausted. And and mentally and physically what was it like for you personally to go in and see all of what you saw.
T: Well it was amazing to see it. It was a very depressing scene. But I’ll tell you what you really can take heart these firemen and policemen and the construction workers equally the courage they have is unbelievable. I mean they’re working digging out and lifting up steel. And above them you have 55 stories buildings that are very possibly going to be pouring down on them any minute. And they’re working like nothing’s wrong. I mean, it’s they’re amazing.