Former President Donald Trump skipped ceremonies marking the 20th anniversary of 9/11 because he’s “not a decent human being” and has no concept of dignity or tragedy, his niece Mary Trump said on Sunday.
“It’s entirely in keeping in what Donald always does,” she told CNN’s Jim Acosta. “He doesn’t understand dignity. He doesn’t understand tragedy. He doesn’t understand anything that doesn’t pertain directly to him.”
President Joe Biden and former presidents George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama and their wives all marked the milestone anniversary in solemn ceremonies Saturday.
Trump instead visited a Manhattan police precinct and firefighters, and set a tone similar to his campaign rallies. He took the opportunity to bash Biden and falsely insisted, yet again, that he won the presidential election.
Trump’s big event of the day was to provide commentary for a pay-per-view heavyweight fight between Evander Holyfield and Vitor Belfort in Florida.
Mary Trump noted that her uncle spent a day marking an enormous tragedy by “commentating a boxing match to line his own pockets.”
She also criticised the lack of “pushback” the former president has received from Republican leadership.
“He will always push the envelope as long as he’s allowed to,” the author and psychologist told Acosta. “And this is the problem here: He’s always allowed to. He’s always allowed to get away with it. So, you and I might think it’s bizarre behaviour – because it is for any decent human being. But … he’s not a decent human being. And, two: Where’s the pushback? Nobody raised their voices on his side of the aisle against that appearance.”
GOP campaign consultant Susan Del Percio also criticised Donald Trump on Sunday for trying to make Sept. 11 all about himself. She claimed his visit to police and firefighters was arranged at the last minute because Trump looked so bad for ducking out of the 9/11 ceremonies.
“All he talked about was himself, not the sacrifice of the people that served with these men and women who we lost 20 years ago,” she said in an MSNBC interview. “Is it surprising? No. Is it shocking? No. Is it sad and pathetic that this man, this is all he cares about is himself on such a solemn day? Yes.”
“In all his tenure, Donald Trump has never tried to serve this country. He’s always wanted something from the country,” Del Percio added.
Watch Mary Trump’s interview on CNN in the video clip up top, and Susan Del Perico on MSNBC below: