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Clinton on 9/11: The closest thing to 'hell' I've ever seen
| CNN | - |
New
York (CNN) Fifteen years later, the scene is still seared into Hillary
Clinton's memory. "We saw this curtain of black smoke that was stretched
across the island," Clinton recalled.
Clinton on 9/11: The closest thing to 'hell' I've ever seen
Story highlights
- Clinton -- at the time New York's junior senator -- described the "sickening experience" of 9/11
- Trump's rhetoric, Clinton said, has only fueled the motivations driving ISIS
New York (CNN)Fifteen years later, the scene is still seared into Hillary Clinton's memory.
"We
saw this curtain of black smoke that was stretched across the island,"
Clinton recalled. "Occasionally it would be broken by a firefighter
coming out. I remember one image so indelibly, dragging his ax, and it
was as close to depiction of hell that I've ever personally seen."
Those
were the things Clinton saw as she approached Ground Zero on September
12, 2001 -- the day after the country's worst terrorist attacks brought
down New York City's World Trade Center and left thousands dead.
In
an exclusive interview with CNN's Chris Cuomo, Clinton -- at the time
New York's junior senator -- described the "sickening experience" of
9/11 and how she coped with the national tragedy by getting right to
work.
Hillary Clinton: 9/11 became personal for me 03:33
When
news broke of the first plane ripping through the north tower of the
World Trade Center on the morning of September 11, Clinton had just left
her house in Washington, D.C., and was on her way to the Senate. By the
time she reached Capitol Hill, evacuations were already underway.
"So I gathered up my senior staff, we were just looking at each other with such total pain and confusion," Clinton said.
Soon
after, they learned about a second plane hitting the south tower. "I
got to a TV as quickly as possible to begin monitoring it. It was just
sickening experience, Chris."
The
next day, Clinton and her fellow New York senator, Chuck Schumer, got on
one of the few planes that were allowed to fly that day and landed at
LaGuardia Airport. After being taken to the city by helicopter, she and
others began to walk toward where the twin towers had collapsed.
After seeing the devastation, Clinton said, she felt a heavy burden of the task ahead.
"There
weren't that many survivors; the ones that did survive were grievously
injured. The loss of life was overwhelming," she told Cuomo. "But it was
also my job and the job of other officials to get our city and state
and country what we needed."
In the
days to come, Clinton, along with Schumer and others, would personally
lobby President George W. Bush for funds to help the city rebuild. There
were problems that lingered for New York residents well-past the
immediate carnage of September 11, including health problems caused by
the debris and toxic air that filled downtown, and victims who survived
the attacks but were left with long-term injuries.
"I
would meet these shattered lives of people where they were broken, but I
saw so many of them strengthen and show such resilience. So I felt
privileged," Clinton said. "It gave me an insight into the human spirit
-- and I like to think the spirit of New York and America -- that I wish
every American could understand."
On Sunday, Clinton will visit
the Ground Zero memorial to pay her respects and observe the annual
moment of silence at 8:46 a.m. ET -- the moment the first plane hit the
north tower.
Trump and foreign policy
The CNN interview took place in New York City on Friday, shortly before Clinton told donors that half of Trump's supporters fall into "the basket of deplorables" -- a group of people who are racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, and Islamaphobic.
The comments have caused an uproar and her Republican opponent, Donald Trump, has slammed her for the remarks.
She later said she regretted saying "half" of his supporters were "deplorables."
Clinton's
sit-down with Cuomo comes just two months out from Election Day.
Increasingly, the Democratic nominee and Trump have wrestled over the
issue of national security and terrorism.
Addressing
the news that North Korea conducted another nuclear test this week,
Clinton cautioned that China has underestimated the regime.
"Up
until relatively recently, I think they were under the impression that
they could control their neighbor and they didn't want to crack down
because they saw it as a useful card to play," she said. "If he gets a
little crazy, maybe the South Koreans will move toward them a little
bit, he gets a little crazier, maybe they can make some deals with the
Japanese about things they want. It was a strategic calculation."
The
former secretary of state said she believes the threats facing the
country are not limited to ISIS but rather are part of a larger struggle
against "a violent ideology -- a form of violent jihadism."
Trump's rhetoric, Clinton said, has only fueled the motivations driving ISIS.
"What
unfortunately Donald Trump has done is made our job harder, and given a
lot of aid and comfort to ISIS operatives and even ISIS officials who
want to make this some sort of clash of civilization -- a religious
war," Clinton said. "It's not, and it can't become that."
Clinton also warned that the message from Trump that has resonated with many Americans is entirely superficial.
"It's
phony strength to not know what you're talking about and to make
outrageous statements that will actually make our job harder, no matter
how in the moment it sounds," she said. "Real strength is leveling with
the American people and making it clear we will defeat ISIS."
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