Trump Says He’s ‘99% Sure’ If He Wanted to Speak at Ground Zero, ‘They Would Have Let Me’

President Donald Trump said he was “99% sure” that if he had wanted to speak at the Ground Zero ceremony marking the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, “they would have let me.”

His remarks came during a Thursday interview with Sid Rosenberg, which aired on the radio personality’s WABC program, Sid & Friends in the Morning, on Friday.

Referring to his appearance at the Pentagon’s remembrance ceremony over Ground Zero on Friday, he told Rosenberg, “They asked me to speak, and I’m gonna speak.”

He continued, calling out The New York Times and its reporter, Maggie Haberman, “I’d love to go to New York, but The New York Times, the same ‘Maggot, Maggot Haberman,’ sick. She’s a sick woman. She’s a sick — she’s unattractive, both inside and out.”

“She doesn’t know anything,” Trump added of the Times’ reporting that he had initially planned to attend the Ground Zero ceremony but ultimately opted for the Pentagon after seeking to deliver remarks in Manhattan. The National September 11 Memorial and Museum has barred politicians from giving speeches at its annual commemoration since 2012 in an effort to keep the event nonpartisan and focused on victims and their families.

Emphasizing once more that he deems the Times’ journalism “just not true,” the president went on:

I’m sure if I wanted to speak, they would have let me. I’m the president, you know? I mean, to be honest with you, Sid — go a step further.

Let’s say — I know the guys down there. They’re good people. I am sure that if I wanted to speak, as a President of the United States — maybe as a developer, if I wanted to speak, they would have said, “We’ll pass” — but I’m the president, and I helped them with so much.

If I wanted to speak, they would have let me speak! I am 99% sure, but [Haberman] makes it like I demanded to speak, and they told the President of the United States, “You cannot speak.” I mean, think of how ridiculous that is.

Now, this isn’t the first time Trump has attacked Haberman over the report. After it was published last month, he branded her a “stalker” on Truth Social, accused her of using fake sources, and called her “unattractive both inside and out.”

He renewed the attacks Tuesday, again calling Haberman “unattractive both inside and out” on Truth Social and demanding a retraction from the Times. The newspaper stood by its reporting, with a spokesperson telling Mediaite at the time, “We won’t be issuing a retraction. This is another all too common example of the president lashing out at coverage he doesn’t like and belittling journalists who report the facts.”

Watch/listen above on WABC.

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