Trump Claims He Warned on Osama Bin Laden Before 9/11
In a recent speech, US President Donald Trump claimed that he had warned about Osama bin Laden a year before the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, but said his warning went unheeded and that he deserved credit.
What He Said
Trump cited his 2000 book, The America We Deserve, saying it included a passage warning people to “watch Osama bin Laden,” and lamented that no one listened until the attacks happened. He insisted he should get recognition for that foresight.
What the Facts Show
While the book makes a passing mention of bin Laden, it does not specifically warn that he would carry out the 9/11 attacks, nor does it call for action to eliminate him. Claims that Trump “predicted” 9/11 from that writing have been widely challenged by fact-checking organizations.
At the time, bin Laden was already in the intelligence spotlight, and U.S. agencies had warned of the threat from al-Qaeda before 2001.
Trump’s version of events is part of a long pattern of him claiming prescience in national security threats—claims that often overstate or misinterpret the historical record.
