Donald Trump was stumping upstate yesterday, and to prove he's fit to be the greatest President this world has ever seen, he made the obligatory mention of the September 11, 2001 attacks. But he was actually thinking of a convenience store chain.
He told the crowd in Buffalo, "It’s very close to my heart because I was down there, and I watched our police and our firemen down at 7/11, down at the World Trade Center right after it came down, and I saw the greatest people I’ve ever seen in action."
Here's the longer cut:
It was a moment made for Twitter:
Trump remembers the events of 7-11. #TrumpinBuffalo @realDonaldTrump #SevenEleven pic.twitter.com/zTZ1DQJqUb
— Scott (@ivyhurst) April 18, 2016
Trump talked down 9/11 to 7/11. He knows how to make a deal!
— Chris Regan (@ChrisRRegan) April 19, 2016
I love the internet. Trump accidentally says 7/11 instead of 9/11. First thing I read? 711 was a part time job. LOL!
— Jill Colton (@Jill_Colton) April 18, 2016
However, the Media Establishment yawned:
Of things to hit Trump for, the 7-11 gaffe - which seems like sleep deprivation - isn't high up there
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) April 19, 2016
Besides Trump, former NY Jets coach and pedicure expert Rex Ryan spoke, as did developer Carl Paladino, whose memorable 2010 gubernatorial campaign involved him essentially becoming an insult comic. No stranger to violence-tinged rhetoric, Paladino said, "What we’ve watched in Washington for the past seven years is disgusting, and we’re not going to take it anymore. Are we mad? Turn around and tell that to the press. We allow them to think they can continue to control our thinking and our acting - and we’re done with them."
About 20 protesters were ejected from the First Niagara Center (Trump said, Get ’em outta here!") and six people were arrested outside.