Former President Donald Trump has surprising plans for the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks: he will be the commentator for a professional boxing match. ESPN announced on Wednesday that Trump and his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., will be calling the fight between heavyweights Evander Holyfield and Vitor Belfort. They are expected to attend in person at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida.
“I love great fighters and great fights… I look forward to seeing both this Saturday night and sharing my thoughts ringside. You won’t want to miss this special event,” Trump said in a public statement on the event. Trump will apparently do commentary for all four bouts on Saturday night, with Holyfield and Belfort as the headliners. Naturally, some commenters already feel that this is an odd choice for a U.S. president on the anniversary of a historic national tragedy.
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Saturday will be the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, where terrorists hijacked multiple airplanes and flew them into major population centers and symbols of power in the U.S. These suicidal attacks killed thousands, shocked the world and have had ripple effects in global politics ever since.
Trump himself already tends to get some flack every September as Americans remember his commentary on Sept. 11, 2001. At the time, Trump was one of the many people invited on live news broadcasts to discuss the attack, appearing on local TV station WWOR. Just hours after the planes hit the World Trade Center, Trump falsely said that his building, Trump Tower, was now the tallest building in New York City.
Trump was brought on the air under the pretense that his work as a real estate developer qualified him to discuss the damage and the ongoing crisis in Manhattan. He was asked if there was any damage to his building, to which he answered: “Well, it was an amazing phone call. I mean, 40 Wall Street actually was the second tallest building in downtown Manhattan, and it was actually before the World Trade Center the tallest, and then when they built the World Trade Center it became known as the second-tallest, and now it’s the tallest.”
As a matter of fact, the nearby skyscraper at 70 Pine Street is 25 feet taller than Trump Tower, though Trump’s building does have four more stories. Still, Trump was widely maligned at the time for tactless self-promotion and continues to be to this day.
Trump will provide boxing commentary to the fights on Sept. 11, available on Pay-Per-View and FITE, according to ESPN.
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