Donald Trump frequently invokes the September 11, 2001, al-Qaida attacks that devastated his home city of New York nearly 25 years ago. Throughout his political career, including his current second presidential term, his recollections of the day have been marked by significant exaggerations and verifiable falsehoods. These inaccuracies range from claims about his real estate holdings to fabricated accounts of his personal participation in recovery efforts.
1. Claiming the attacks made his building the tallest in New York
Shortly after the attacks, Trump claimed in a telephone interview with a local news anchor that the destruction of the World Trade Center—previously the city’s tallest building—meant his 40 Wall Street property had become the tallest in downtown Manhattan. He stated, “I mean, 40 Wall Street actually was the second-tallest building in downtown Manhattan. And it was actually before the World Trade Center was the tallest. And then when they built the World Trade Center, it became known as the second tallest. And now it’s the tallest.” This claim was factually incorrect; 70 Pine Street, located just a block away, held that distinction at the time.
2. Claiming he assisted in the cleanup
Trump has repeatedly asserted that he personally helped with the recovery efforts at Ground Zero. In one instance, he remarked, “Everyone who helped clear the rubble, and I was there, and I watched, and I helped a little bit.” This echoed a comment made to a German broadcaster shortly after the attacks, where he claimed, “we’ll have a couple hundred people down here” to assist with cleanup. However, in 2019, a New York City fire department battalion chief told PolitiFact that there was no record of Trump sending workers to the site, and no evidence supports his claims of personal involvement in the recovery.
3. The fabricated story of being carried by firefighters
During a recent ceremony at the White House ellipse, Trump claimed that while visiting lower Manhattan shortly after the attacks, he was evacuated by firefighters concerned about the stability of One Liberty Plaza. He alleged, “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.” While the evacuation of nearby buildings did occur due to structural concerns, there is no evidence Trump was present, and the story has been widely dismissed as a fabrication.
4. Falsehoods regarding Muslim celebrations
During his 2016 presidential campaign, Trump repeatedly claimed that “thousands and thousands” of Muslim Americans were seen cheering in Jersey City, New Jersey, on the day of the attacks. Despite extensive fact-checking and investigations by local authorities and media, no evidence has ever been found to support this allegation.
5. Misrepresentation of Ilhan Omar
In September 2019, Trump shared a video on social media that purported to show Democratic congresswoman Ilhan Omar, the first Somali American to serve in Congress, dancing on the anniversary of the September 11 attacks. CBS News later confirmed that the footage was actually from an event organized by the Congressional Black Caucus that was not held on September 11.
6. Claiming to have predicted the attacks
In his 2000 book, *The America We Deserve*, Trump mentioned Osama bin Laden as one of a “bewildering series of smaller crises” facing the United States. Trump has since attempted to frame this brief mention as a prescient warning of the 9/11 attacks, a characterization that ignores the context of the book and the nature of the threat assessment at the time. The report also notes that at the time, Bin Laden was known to Americans because al-Qaida had in 1998 orchestrated the bombings of US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. The report also notes that adding: “I pointed him out in my book just BEFORE the attack on the World Trade Center.”, that didn’t stop Trump from in 2018 writing on X that the US “should have captured Osama Bin Laden long before we did”. The report also notes that i said: ‘Fellas, I can run myself,’ but they were amazing.
- Trump’s claims regarding 40 Wall Street were debunked by the existence of 70 Pine Street.
- No official records or witness accounts corroborate Trump’s claims of sending workers to Ground Zero.
- The story of being lifted by firefighters is a recurring, unverified anecdote.
- Claims of Muslim celebrations in Jersey City remain entirely unsubstantiated.
- The video of Ilhan Omar was misrepresented regarding its date and context.
- The mention of bin Laden in his book did not constitute a specific prediction of the 9/11 attacks.