Full Breakdown
Trump Reiterates Unverified 9/11 Rescue Claims Amid Family and Media Pushback
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Event: President repeats 9/11 rescue narrative
On September 8, President Donald J. Trump told a Tunnel to Towers Foundation event that two firefighters lifted him from the Ground Zero area after the September 11 attacks because a nearby building was feared to be collapsing. He also said he brought a “large group of construction workers” from his New York projects to assist with the recovery effort. The president posted archival footage on Truth Social showing him in Lower Manhattan between September 13 and 18, 2001, but the material does not depict him at the still-smoking rubble.
Background & Context: Long-standing claims and prior investigations
Trump has repeated variations of the rescue story since the attacks, first describing being carried by “big, strong guys” in 2016 and later adding a crew of workers. Multiple news investigations, including a 2024 fact-check, have found no contemporaneous evidence that he entered the disaster zone or that his employees performed rescue work. The New York Times reported that no records confirm the existence of the two firefighters he named.
Official Statements & Responses
The Trump Organization did not provide additional documentation, and the White House declined to comment further on the nephew’s rebuttal. A New York Times spokesperson reiterated that the newspaper stands by its reporting and will not issue a retraction.
Criticism & Opposition
Former Trump Organization executive Barbara Res said that if Trump had truly been escorted by first-responders, it would have become front-page news the next day. Retired NYFD Deputy Chief Richard Alles told The New York Times in 2019 that Trump was never present at Ground Zero during or after the attacks.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
- Presence at the site: Archival video shows Trump speaking near Ground Zero on September 13, 2001, but no footage places him at the active rescue zone.
- Worker deployment: The president’s claim of “hundreds” of construction workers contrasts with Fred Trump III’s assertion that only office staff could have been taken. No independent records verify either figure.
- Firefighter rescue: No name or badge number for the two firefighters has been provided, and city officials repeatedly stated that the nearby United States Steel building was structurally sound, undermining the premise of an imminent collapse.
Verbatim Quotes
- “And I’ll never forget two firemen. We thought it was coming down on top of us, and two firemen, big, strong guys – and I’m not the smallest guy in the world – they grabbed me under the arm, said, ‘Got to get out of here!’ And they literally lifted me up,” — Donald J. Trump, President (q7)
- “The only crew he claimed to bring to the site would have been secretarial and accounting employees from Trump Tower,” — Fred Trump III, son of the president’s eldest brother (q2)
What’s Next
A ceremony marking the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks is scheduled for the Pentagon, while Vice President J.D. Vance will attend the New York memorial service in the president’s place. No further evidence has been offered to substantiate the rescue claim.
