Trump used his 9/11 speech to threaten terrorists with force even greater than 'nuclear power' if they attack the US again

During a speech commemorating the 9/11 terror attacks at the Pentagon, Trump said, "If for any reason they come back to our country, wewill go wherever they are andusepowerthe likes of which theUS has never used before and I'm not even talkingaboutnuclearpower."
The speech came a day after Trump dismissed his national security adviser, and as his administration faces scrutiny over the chaos surrounding its foreign policy .
Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories .

President Donald Trump on Wednesday delivered a speech at the Pentagon to commemorate the 9/11 terror attacks and during it threatened terrorists with force "the likes of which the US has never used before."

Trump suggested that if any terror group attacked the US they would face a US military response more destructive and impactful than the use of "nuclear power."

"We do not seek conflict. But if anyone dares to strikeour land, we will respond withthe full measure of Americanpowerand the iron will of theAmerican spirit and that spiritis unbreakable," Trump said. "If for any reason they come back to our country, wewill go wherever they are andusepowerthe likes of which theUS has never used before and I'm not even talkingaboutnuclearpower."

"They will never have seen anything like what will happento them," Trump added. "No enemy on Earth can match theoverwhelming strength, skill andmight of the American armedforces."

Trumps speech came one day after he dismissed John Bolton as national security adviser

Bolton's firing came several days after the president announced as part of broader peace talks he had invited Taliban leaders to Camp David for a secret meeting. But the president canceled it at the last minute because a US soldier was killed in a recent Taliban attack in Afghanistan.

Bolton had reportedly objected to the peace negotiations as well as Trump's invitation to the Taliban. Among other issues, Bolton's disagreements with Trump contributed to his firing, which the president made clear in tweets announcing the dismissal.

The president got into some of this during his speech on Wednesday, stating, "We had peace talks scheduled a few days ago.I called them off when I learnedthat they had killed a greatAmerican soldier from PuertoRico and 11 other innocent people. They thought they would use thisattack to show strength.But actually, what they showedis unrelenting weakness."

Trump also said that a a response the US over the last four days has been hitting "our enemy harder than they haveever been hit before and thatwill continue."

NOW WATCH: 'Shark Tank' star Robert Herjavec explains what makes America great