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PolitiFact Calls Trump’s Ground Zero Story a “Weird Lie”

9/10/2026

Summary

Trump Ground Zero Lie

U.S. President Donald Trump claimed he was taken to Ground Zero after the September 11 attacks.
He said two firefighters lifted him and ran from the Steel Building on September 8 2026.
PolitiFact could not verify his claim that 100-150 workers helped dig the World Trade Center rubble.
PolitiFact, The New York Times and New York Magazine labeled his Ground Zero story a “weird lie.”

Summary

Trump Pentagon Ceremony

U.S. President Donald Trump will mark the 9/11 anniversary at Pentagon on Friday, not at Ground Zero.
Vice President JD Vance, former presidents Joe Biden, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and George Bush will attend New York ceremony.
After the Pentagon ceremony, President Trump will travel to Ireland for Irish Open at golf course.
Trump posted on Truth Social denying Pentagon appearance resulted from being barred from speaking in New York.

History

Historical Context

The September 11, 2001 attacks on New York’s World Trade Center and the Pentagon killed 2,977 victims and reshaped U.S. security policy. The bipartisan 9/11 Commission, chaired by former Texas Governor George W. Bush, issued a 400-page report in 2004 citing 19 hijackers and $10 billion in emergency aid. Now, Donald Trump’s claim of being rescued from Ground Zero mirrors attempts to rewrite 9/11, prompting PolitiFact and the New York Times to deem it false. Consequently, the 9/11 Pentagon ceremony, joined by JD Vance, former presidents Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, and George H.W. Bush, highlights the event’s lasting political weight.

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Trump Ground Zero Lie

U.S. President Donald Trump claimed he was taken to Ground Zero after the September 11 attacks.
He said two firefighters lifted him and ran from the Steel Building on September 8 2026.
PolitiFact could not verify his claim that 100-150 workers helped dig the World Trade Center rubble.
PolitiFact, The New York Times and New York Magazine labeled his Ground Zero story a “weird lie.”

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