“9/11 Plane Hijackers would not have been in US if I was president” – Donald Trump

Republican candidate Jeb Bush has adopted a four-word riposte in defence of his brother, "He kept us safe" - which has gained applause from debate audiences.

Donald Trump did not agree with Jeb Bush, he said……..

In an interview with Fox News, the real estate billionaire said if he had "been running things" his tough stance on immigration would have meant "a good chance" that the plane hijackers "would not have been in our country".

The comments come amid growing tensions between Mr Trump and one of his rivals for the Republican presidential nomination, Jeb Bush.

Mr Trump has repeatedly tried to attack Mr Bush by forcing him to defend his brother George W Bush’s security record while in office, and criticising him for taking America to war in Iraq.

However, in his appearance on Fox News Sunday, Mr Trump said: "Jeb said we were safe with my brother, we were safe. Well the World Trade Centre just fell down.

"Now am I trying to blame him? I'm not blaming anybody. But the World Trade Centre came down, so when he said we were safe, that's not safe."

Asked how Mr Trump would have done things differently, he said:  "I am extremely, extremely tough on immigration. I'm extremely tough on people coming into this country.

"I believe that if I were running things, I doubt those families would have - I doubt that those people would've been in the country."

All but one of the 19 men who hijacked the four planes involved in the attacks entered the country legally either on business, student or tourist visas.

Responding to Mr Trump's comments, Jeb Bush said in a CNN interview: "Does anyone actually blame my brother for the attacks on 9/11? If they do, they're totally marginalised in our society.

"It’s what he did afterwards that matters, and I'm proud of him."

Mr Bush also hit back at the former reality TV star, saying: "Across the spectrum of foreign policy, Mr Trump talks about things as though he's still on The Apprentice."