GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump made his first visit to 9/11 Memoriam Museum Saturday — and then took at shot at Ted Cruz for ridiculing “New York values.”
Flanked by heavy security and a NYPD detail, and trailed by a vanful of reporters, Trump’s caravan trekked from the Trump Tower down to the World Trade Center site.
Just 10 days before the New York primary, he invited the journalists to observe what amounted to a campaign stop on hallowed ground — but only from a distance.
Miffed reporters, invited by the campaign, were not allowed inside and were only permitted to see Trump enter and exit the museum. The candidate would not take questions.
Trump was seen carrying an umbrella and escorting his wife, Melania, in and out of the museum. He stayed for about 30 minutes, from 12:20 to 12:50 p.m.
Visitors inside the museum — including critics — were startled to see The Donald.
“Look at this golden haired fear mongering motherf—er,” tweeted Nick Schug, who posted a photo of Trump.
“I’m at the 9/11 Memorial and no joke Donald Trump just through and everyone was extremely mad.”
The Trump campaign later released a photo of Trump and Melania — wearing blue pumps — walking in the museum past the Virgil inscription on the wall that reads, “NO DAY SHALL ERASE YOU FROM THE MEMORY OF TIME.”
Afterward, museum officials announced that the billionaire made a $100,000 donation to the institution.
“Mr. and Mrs. Trump were proud to pay their respects at the 9/11 Memorial Museum today in downtown Manhattan. They were given a tour by museum President and CEO Joe Daniels, along with other museum officials and representatives of the NYPD and PAPD,” a campaign statement read.
“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. It is also symbolic of the strength of our country, and in particular New Yorkers, who have done such an incredible job rebuilding that devastated section of our city.
“This is what ‘New York values’ are really all about,” the statement added, an obvious slap at Cruz.
In January while appealing to Iowa caucus voters, Cruz slammed Trump as representative of “New York values” — liberal policies out of step with the GOP.
Meanwhile Cruz went delegate-hunting Saturday at Colorado’s state GOP convention. Cruz picked up 21 delegates and spoke at the state convention in Colorado Springs to try to win 13 slots still up for grabs.
John Kasich spoke to voters at town halls in Rochester and at Iona College in New Rochelle, and attended a GOP dinner in Rockland County.