Donald Trump says "we're pretty pathetic as a nation" if the U.S. wasn't able to provide more protection to American personnel at the time of the Benghazi attack in Libya on Sept. 11, 2012.
The entertainment and real estate billionaire made the comment Monday during his regular appearance on Fox News'
"Fox & Friends" while commenting on the network's pregame Super Bowl interview Sunday with President Barack Obama.
The president's interview with Fox talk show personality Bill O'Reilly covered a number of topics, ranging from the targeting of conservative groups by the Internal Revenue Service, accountability over problems with Obamacare, and the administration's response to the attacks on the U.S. mission in Benghazi that left four Americans dead, including U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens.
Trump called into question the president's contention that the U.S. had done what it could to protect those caught in the attacks, saying that his response to O'Reilly's questions didn't "resonate with anybody."
"They did everything they could to protect? If that's the case, then we're pretty pathetic as a nation," Trump said.
Trump also took the president to task for not looking presidential enough during the live television interview with O'Reilly. He said Obama should have at least put on a tie for the event.
"I definitely think he should have worn a tie, you know? He's the president of the United States," Trump said. "Let him put on a tie. Bill (O'Reilly) was wearing a tie. He's the president. It's a formal position."
Describing the president's appearance sans tie as "sloppy," "inappropriate," and "not presidential," Trump then managed to put in a plug for his Macy's clothing collection, saying he'd be happy to send Obama a few of his personally designed ties.
But Trump insisted that his criticism of the president's appearance was not intended to help promote his Macy's collection.
"That has nothing to do with my ties. That has to do with the fact that he's the president. And, in my opinion, that's what he should be doing," Trump said.
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