Donald Trump's recent claim that "thousands and thousands of people were cheering" in Jersey City when the twin towers came down on 9/11 is drawing the ire of Muslim residents there.
Trump made the remarks in Alabama Saturday, saying, "I watched in Jersey City, New Jersey, where thousands of people were cheering as that building was coming down."
Hamed Elshanawany, president of the Hudson County Islamic Council in Jersey City, said it never happened.
"If anybody has any proof this happened in the community, is right but no proof at all," he said.
Trump also tweeted Monday a passage from a Washington Post article posted a few days after 9/11 about Jersey City police detaining people allegedly seen celebrating.
Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop disputed the account.
"There is no record of anything he said, so we would hope going forward he would be more responsible," he told NBC 4 New York.
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The state's biggest newspaper, The Star-Ledger, said it doesn't have any proof that happened.
Even when he was reminded that police said it didn't happen during an interview on ABC Sunday, Trump doubled down on his remarks.
"It did happen, I saw it," he said. "It was on television. I saw it."
Egyptian-born teacher Nabil Youssef said, "It is insulting, it is hurtful and it makes us not feel like a real American."
Youssef said he ran to help victims on 9/11, donating blood to the Red Cross.
Trump is sticking by his comments but that may energize Muslims, said Ahmed Shedeed of the Islamic Center of Jersey City.
"He'll get a lot of Muslims upset, a lot of Muslims now going to go out and vote," he said.
NBC News' political blog First Read dissects more of the recent false statements made by Trump recently in a post titled: "Donald Trump, the post-truth 2016 candidate."
