Donald Trump let his crazy mask slip just a bit too much on camera Friday, blaming former Republican President George W. Bush for the attacks of September 11, 2001.

Bloomberg Television anchor Stephanie Ruhle asked Trump how Americans could trust him to keep them safe, a key issue with many voters (quotes via Mail Online):

‘OK, I think I have a bigger heart than all of them,’ he said. ‘I think I’m much more competent than all of them.’

‘When you talk about George Bush – I mean, say what you want, the World Trade Center came down during his time.’

Ruhle jumped in, saying, ‘Hold on! You can’t blame George Bush for that.’

‘He was president, OK?’ Trump responded. ‘Blame him or don’t blame him, but he was president. The World Trade Center came down during his reign.’

There is no game of nuance to be played here. Trump had the opportunity to correct himself, to note that he has stepped on the landmine and pull back his foot. He didn’t. He barreled right on.

Trump was trying to distinguish himself as superior to George W. Bush, and did so by saying that the Twin Towers came down during Bush’s “reign.” Nota bene, Mr. Trump: in republics we call them “terms.”

Any presidential candidate who makes that kind of charge in 2015 is well aware of what he’s saying. Trump was appealing to the conspiracy theorists that form his most ardent support not to flee as his poll numbers plummet.

Trump also continued the silly Republican establishment critique of President Obama, saying that he is not a leader. Obama is a leader, but is leading in all of the wrong directions.