KEY POINTS

  • George Conway, founder of the Lincoln Project and frequent Trump critic, said Trump was "the greatest threat to the safety and security of Americans"
  • Both Trump and Biden went to Pennsylvania to commemorate the 9/11 attacks
  • Pennsylvania is a key battleground state where Biden's lead has narrowed

George Conway labeled Donald Trump "the greatest threat to the safety and security of Americans" as both Trump and rival Democrat Joe Biden paid their respects to 9/11 victims in Pennsylvania.

Conway, a founder of the conservative anti-Trump Lincoln Project and husband of long-time Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway, had indicated he would be taking a break from political attacks last month when both he and his wife stepped back from their political posts, citing family responsibilities.

"On this 9/11, the greatest threat to the safety and security of Americans is the President of the United States," George Conway tweeted Friday.

Trump has raised eyebrows during his tenure in the White House, sharing sensitive intelligence with Russian officials, expressing doubt about intelligence indicating Russia was trying to influence the U.S. election process and carrying on sensitive discussions in public at his Mar-a-Largo resort in Florida.

George Conway has compared Trump to “a practical joke that got out of hand,” saying, “he is a racist, he is evil.” Trump in turn has said: "I don’t know what Kellyanne did to her deranged loser of a husband, moonface, but it must have been really bad."

Kellyanne Conway announced in August she would step down from her job as counselor to the president while George Conway said he would withdraw from the Lincoln Project while still supporting the group's message. The decisions came after one of their daughters, Claudia, announced she would attempt to become an emancipated minor following “years of childhood trauma and abuse.”

On Friday both Trump and Biden were in Pennsylvania, a key battleground state, to commemorate the anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks. Trump held a ceremony with a moment of silence, along with a speech.

“Every passenger and crew member on the plane had a life filled with love and joy, friends and family, radiant hopes and limitless dreams. … The heroes of flight 93 are an everlasting reminder that no matter the danger, no matter the threat, no matter the odds, America will always rise up, stand tall and fight back,” he said.

President Donald Trump and his Democratic White House rival Joe Biden will both visit the crash site of a plane hijacked on September 11, 2001 in the key election battleground of Pennsylvania
President Donald Trump and his Democratic White House rival Joe Biden will both visit the crash site of a plane hijacked on September 11, 2001 in the key election battleground of Pennsylvania AFP / MANDEL NGAN

Biden greeted Vice President Mike Pence during a memorial in Manhattan before traveling to Pennsylvania. He and his wife visited a firehouse, a nod to the many first responders killed in the aftermath of the attacks.

Biden leads Trump in Pennsylvania by a razor-thin margin, according to a Monmouth University poll. His lead in the swing states of Florida and Pennsylvania has tightened in recent weeks. Biden now polls just one to three points ahead of his rival among likely Pennsylvania voters.