washington (cnn) donald trump on monday stood by his comments that former president george w. bush did not keep the country safe since he was president during the 9/11 terrorist attacks.









trump insisted he isn't "blaming anybody," but repeatedly reminded fox news viewers that the "worst attack in the history of our country" occurred on bush's watch and suggested that the attacks could have been prevented.









"the fact is we had the worst attack in the history of our country during his reign. jeb (bush) said we were safe during his reign. that wasn't true," trump said. "and i'm not blaming anybody and i'm not blaming george bush, although if you look at his three primary agencies, they hated each other, they weren't talking ... and a good leader would've made sure that they would get along and talk and lots of other things happen."









trump walks on stage with his family after he was declared the election winner on november 9. "ours was not a campaign, but rather, an incredible and great movement," he told his supporters in new york.









trump walks on stage with his family after he was declared the election winner on november 9. "ours was not a campaign, but rather, an incredible and great movement," he told his supporters in new york.









trump apologizes in a video, posted to his twitter account in october, for vulgar and sexually aggressive remarks he made a decade ago regarding women. "i said it, i was wrong and i apologize," trump said, referring to lewd comments he made during a previously unaired taping of "access hollywood." multiple republican leaders rescinded their endorsements of trump after the footage was released.









trump faces democratic nominee hillary clinton in the first presidential debate, which took place in hempstead, new york, in september.









trump delivers a speech at the republican national convention in july, accepting the party's nomination for president. "i have had a truly great life in business," he said. "but now, my sole and exclusive mission is to go to work for our country -- to go to work for you. it's time to deliver a victory for the american people."









trump delivers a speech at the republican national convention in july, accepting the party's nomination for president. "i have had a truly great life in business," he said. "but now, my sole and exclusive mission is to go to work for our country -- to go to work for you. it's time to deliver a victory for the american people."









trump speaks during a campaign event in evansville, indiana, on april 28. after trump won the indiana primary, his last two competitors dropped out of the gop race.









trump speaks during a campaign event in evansville, indiana, on april 28. after trump won the indiana primary, his last two competitors dropped out of the gop race.









trump -- flanked by u.s. sens. marco rubio, left, and ted cruz -- speaks during a cnn debate in miami on march 10. trump dominated the gop primaries and emerged as the presumptive nominee in may.









trump -- flanked by u.s. sens. marco rubio, left, and ted cruz -- speaks during a cnn debate in miami on march 10. trump dominated the gop primaries and emerged as the presumptive nominee in may.









in june 2015, during a speech from trump tower, trump announced that he was running for president. he said he would give up "the apprentice" to run.









trump speaks in sarasota, florida, after accepting the statesman of the year award at the sarasota gop dinner in august 2012. it was shortly before the republican national convention in nearby tampa.









trump speaks in sarasota, florida, after accepting the statesman of the year award at the sarasota gop dinner in august 2012. it was shortly before the republican national convention in nearby tampa.









trump poses with miss universe contestants in 2011. trump had been executive producer of the miss universe, miss usa and miss teen usa pageants since 1996.









trump poses with miss universe contestants in 2011. trump had been executive producer of the miss universe, miss usa and miss teen usa pageants since 1996.









trump appears on the set of "the celebrity apprentice" with two of his children -- donald jr. and ivanka -- in 2009.









trump appears on the set of "the celebrity apprentice" with two of his children -- donald jr. and ivanka -- in 2009.









for "the apprentice," trump was honored with a star on the hollywood walk of fame in january 2007.









for "the apprentice," trump was honored with a star on the hollywood walk of fame in january 2007.









trump wrestles with "stone cold" steve austin at wrestlemania in 2007. trump has close ties with the wwe and its ceo, vince mcmahon.









trump wrestles with "stone cold" steve austin at wrestlemania in 2007. trump has close ties with the wwe and its ceo, vince mcmahon.









trump attends the u.s. open tennis tournament with his third wife, melania knauss-trump, and their son, barron, in 2006. trump and knauss married in 2005.









trump attends the u.s. open tennis tournament with his third wife, melania knauss-trump, and their son, barron, in 2006. trump and knauss married in 2005.









trump attends a news conference in 2005 that announced the establishment of trump university. from 2005 until it closed in 2010, trump university had about 10,000 people sign up for a program that promised success in real estate. three separate lawsuits -- two class-action suits filed in california and one filed by new york's attorney general -- argued that the program was mired in fraud and deception. trump's camp rejected the suits' claims as "baseless." and trump has charged that the new york case against him is politically motivated.









a 12-inch talking trump doll is on display at a toy store in new york in september 2004.









a 12-inch talking trump doll is on display at a toy store in new york in september 2004.









an advertisement for the television show "the apprentice" hangs at trump tower in 2004. the show launched in january of that year. in january 2008, the show returned as "celebrity apprentice."









an advertisement for the television show "the apprentice" hangs at trump tower in 2004. the show launched in january of that year. in january 2008, the show returned as "celebrity apprentice."









trump dips his second wife, marla maples, after the couple married in a private ceremony in new york in december 1993. the couple divorced in 1999 and had one daughter together, tiffany.









trump dips his second wife, marla maples, after the couple married in a private ceremony in new york in december 1993. the couple divorced in 1999 and had one daughter together, tiffany.









trump and singer michael jackson pose for a photo before traveling to visit ryan white, a young child with aids, in 1990.









trump and singer michael jackson pose for a photo before traveling to visit ryan white, a young child with aids, in 1990.









trump signs his second book, "trump: surviving at the top," in 1990. trump has published at least 16 other books, including "the art of the deal" and "the america we deserve."









trump attends the opening of his new atlantic city casino, the taj mahal, in 1989.









trump attends the opening of his new atlantic city casino, the taj mahal, in 1989.









trump uses his personal helicopter to get around new york in 1987.









trump uses his personal helicopter to get around new york in 1987.









trump was married to ivana zelnicek trump from 1977 to 1990, when they divorced. they had three children together: donald jr., ivanka and eric.









trump was married to ivana zelnicek trump from 1977 to 1990, when they divorced. they had three children together: donald jr., ivanka and eric.









trump attends an event to mark the start of construction of the new york convention center in 1979.









trump attends an event to mark the start of construction of the new york convention center in 1979.









trump stands with alfred eisenpreis, new york's economic development administrator, in 1976 while they look at a sketch of a new 1,400-room renovation project of the commodore hotel. after graduating college in 1968, trump worked with his father on developments in queens and brooklyn before purchasing or building multiple properties in new york and atlantic city, new jersey. those properties included trump tower in new york and trump plaza and multiple casinos in atlantic city.









trump stands with alfred eisenpreis, new york's economic development administrator, in 1976 while they look at a sketch of a new 1,400-room renovation project of the commodore hotel. after graduating college in 1968, trump worked with his father on developments in queens and brooklyn before purchasing or building multiple properties in new york and atlantic city, new jersey. those properties included trump tower in new york and trump plaza and multiple casinos in atlantic city.









trump, center, wears a baseball uniform at the new york military academy in 1964. after he graduated from the boarding school, he went to college. he started at fordham university before transferring and later graduating from the wharton school, the university of pennsylvania's business school.









trump, center, wears a baseball uniform at the new york military academy in 1964. after he graduated from the boarding school, he went to college. he started at fordham university before transferring and later graduating from the wharton school, the university of pennsylvania's business school.









trump, center, stands at attention during his senior year at the new york military academy in 1964.









trump, center, stands at attention during his senior year at the new york military academy in 1964.









trump, left, in a family photo. he was the second-youngest of five children.









trump, left, in a family photo. he was the second-youngest of five children.









trump at age 4. he was born in 1946 to fred and mary trump in new york city. his father was a real estate developer.









trump at age 4. he was born in 1946 to fred and mary trump in new york city. his father was a real estate developer.









president-elect donald trump has been in the spotlight for years. from developing real estate and producing and starring in tv shows, he became a celebrity long before winning the white house.









president-elect donald trump has been in the spotlight for years. from developing real estate and producing and starring in tv shows, he became a celebrity long before winning the white house.









trump was referencing how in the run-up to the 9/11 attacks top law enforcement and intelligence agencies including the cia and the fbi weren't coordinating as closely as they do now.









former florida gov. jeb bush, one of trump's rivals for the 2016 gop presidential nomination, said during the last republican debate that his brother, the former president, "kept us safe." trump on friday reopened that feud and challenged that assertion.









"how pathetic for @realdonaldtrump to criticize the president for 9/11. we were attacked & my brother kept us safe," he tweeted.









trump even suggested monday that the bush administration "knew in advance" the u.s. would be attacked.









"cia director george tenet knew in advance that there was going to be an attack," trump said."he knew in advance that there was going to be an attack."









while tenet did go to the white house two months before 9/11 with intelligence reports suggesting al-qaeda was plotting a terrorist attack on the u.s., tenet did not know when or how those attacks would unfold and he did not know how reliable the intercepted chatter was.









former trump political aide roger stone, who is also a well-known conspiracy theorist, pushed a similar line hours before trump called into fox news, tweeting that tenet "admitted he had 60 day advance warning of attack on america-and did nothing."









stone also tweeted two days before that ".@realdonaldtrump is right - bush admin knew of attack on america 60 days in advance- did nothing."









trump also said monday that tougher immigration policies like the ones he would implement if he became president would have thwarted the 9/11 terrorist attacks. those hijackers entered the u.s. legally, but trump said he would have implemented tougher visa standards to prevent their entry into the country in the first place. it's unclear what those standards would have been.









trump also said he would have had a "massive whistleblower system" to gain advance knowledge of the attacks. he did not explain how such a system would work.









the latest sparring between trump and jeb bush is just the latest in a series of feuds that have marked the two contenders' relationship through the primary.









trump has repeatedly knocked bush over his last name -- suggesting there should be no more bushes and clintons in the white house -- and claimed that the former florida governor is too "low-energy" to take on the job of commander-in-chief.









after first resisting to engage the brash billionaire, bush has in recent months taken trump on directly and forcefully, this weekend explaining on cnn's "state of the union" that he has "grave doubts" about trump's preparedness to handle the responsibilities of president of the united states. bush also linked trump's candidacy to the antics of trump's reality show, "the apprentice."









but trump's criticism of the two bushes is doing more than just dragging the former florida governor and one-time establishment favorite for the nomination into a mud fight. it's also provoking jeb bush into repeated impassioned defenses of his brother's tenure as president, which remains contentious.









jeb bush struggled early in the campaign to call his brother's decision to invade iraq a "mistake" -- a judgment that today has broad consensus -- as he almost reflexively defended his brother.









and jeb bush did it again this weekend, in the face of trump's latest attack over 9/11:









"my brother responded to a crisis, and he did it as you would hope a president would do. he united the country, he organized our country and he kept us safe. and there's no denying that. the great majority of americans believe that," bush said.
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