Donald Trump made an unannounced stop at the National September 11 Museum Saturday morning in New York City.
Trump did not visit the memorial itself but the adjacent museum, which he toured with his wife, Melania, and his staff. Michael Frazier, a spokesman for the museum, later said Trump made a $100,000 donation.
After the visit, which lasted less than a half hour, Trump and his entourage headed back to Trump Tower. They declined to take questions from reporters.
A statement from Trump spokeswoman Hope Hicks said the Trumps “were given a tour by museum president and CEO Joe Daniels, along with other museum officials and representatives of the (New York Police Department) and (Port Authority Police Department).”
“They were incredibly impressed with the museum, a monument representative of all of the wonderful people who tragically lost their lives and the families who have suffered so greatly,” Hicks said.
The Manhattan billionaire often references 9/11 on the campaign trail, recently invoking his hometown’s response to the attacks as he hit Sen. Ted Cruz for the Texas senator’s “New York values” line.
“Remember when he started lecturing me on New York values like we’re no good?” Trump said at a rally Wednesday. “We all know people who died, and I’ve got this guy standing over there looking at me and talking to me about ‘New York values’ with scorn on his face, with hatred of New York.”
The Trump campaign hit Cruz again — though not by name — after the museum visit, saying in its statement, “This is what ‘New York values’ are really all about.”
The clash between Trump and Cruz over “New York values” at a debate in January marked the end of their warm treatment of each other — and the beginning of an increasingly hostile, personal fight for their party’s nomination.
Prior to that, Trump sparked controversy last year for claiming to have seen footage of “thousands and thousands” of Muslims in New Jersey celebrating at the destruction of the World Trade Center. Trump’s claim was widely recognized as false and drew scorn from many Muslims offended by the statement.
