Donald Trump says he should ‘get credit’ for warning people of Osama bin Laden before 9/11

Donald Trump has bizarrely taken credit for 'warning people' of Osama bin Laden before 9/11 happened.

It was business as usual yesterday (5 October) for the American President, 79, despite the ongoing US government shutdown, as he attended the Navy 250 Celebration at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia.

The Republican leader gave a speech to thousands of Navy personnel in aid of the 250th celebration of the institution. However, in the words of Trump himself, it became more of a rally.

He told the 10,000-strong crowd: “Let’s face it, this is a rally," while crowds later chanted: "USA! USA! USA!”

Trump also commented on the government shutdown, which began on Wednesday (1 October) when Republicans and Democrats were unable to agree on a spending bill.

He defiantly told attendees: "I want you to know that despite the current Democrat induced shutdown, we will get our service members every last penny. Don’t worry about it."

However, the part of his speech that has raised eyebrows on social media was when he used the opportunity to rant about his previous 'warnings' about the founder of al-Qaeda, bin Laden, which he claims were 'exactly a year before' 9/11.

Trump said: “Please remember I wrote about Osama bin Laden exactly one year ago, one year before he blew up the World Trade Centre, and I said, ‘you gotta watch Osama bin Laden!’

“And the fake news would never let me get away with that statement unless it was true. But I said one year before to Pete Hegseth, I said one year before.”

He strangely continued: “I said one year before, in the book I wrote – whatever the hell the title, I can’t tell you.

Trump: "Please remember I wrote Osama bin Laden exactly one year ago, one year before he blew up the World Trade Center. And I said, 'You gotta watch Osama bin Laden!' ... I gotta take a little credit." pic.twitter.com/Ck4ODP1xQY

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 5, 2025

“But I can tell you, there’s a page in there devoted to the fact that I saw somebody named Osama bin Laden and I didn’t like it and ‘you gotta take care of him’.

“They didn’t do it, a year later he blew up the World Trade Centre.”

Trump went on to add: "I gotta take a little credit cause nobody else is going to give it to me. They don’t give you credit, just take it yourself."

What the US President is likely referring to is a book he wrote in early 2000, The America We Deserve, which briefly referenced bin Laden.

Trump wrote: “Instead of one looming crisis hanging over us, we face a bewildering series of smaller crises, flash points, standoffs, and hot spots. We're not playing the chess game to end all chess games anymore.

"We're playing tournament chess-one master against many rivals. One day we're all assured that Iraq is under control, the UN inspectors have done their work, everything's fine, not to worry. The next day the bombing begins.”

He then mentioned bin Laden, as he wrote: "One day we're told that a shadowy figure with no fixed address named Osama bin-Laden is public enemy number one, and US jet fighters lay waste to his camp in Afghanistan.

"He escapes back under some rock, and a few news cycles later it's on to a new enemy and new crisis.”

So, while it wasn't exactly a warning or 9/11 prediction, he did seemingly think bin Laden was a security threat to the US.