Trump set the record straight!
President Donald Trump is firing back after a new controversy erupted over his account of what happened to him in New York City following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
Trump strongly denied accusations that he lied about being in Lower Manhattan after the World Trade Center attacks, producing old video footage that shows him in the area in the days following the tragedy.
But the dispute is more complicated than whether Trump was in Lower Manhattan.
While archival footage documents Trump’s presence in the area after September 11, critics and fact-checkers have questioned a specific story the president recently told about two firefighters carrying him away from a building they feared could collapse.
Trump insists his account is accurate.
Trump Defends His September 11 Story
The controversy began after Trump spoke Tuesday during the Tunnel to Towers Foundation’s Steel Across America event on the White House Ellipse.
The ceremony was held ahead of the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks and honored victims and first responders.
During his remarks, Trump recalled traveling to Lower Manhattan shortly after the attacks.
Trump said he had construction workers with him and described entering the U.S. Steel Building, now known as One Liberty Plaza, amid concerns about the structure.
According to Trump’s account, the building began making alarming noises.
He said two firefighters responded by picking him up and carrying him away from the potentially dangerous area.
That story quickly attracted national attention — and skepticism.
New York Magazine challenged Trump’s account, while other news organizations noted that the specific firefighter encounter has not been independently verified.
Trump wasn’t having it.
Trump Produces Video From Lower Manhattan
Responding on Truth Social, Trump accused New York Magazine of falsely suggesting he wasn’t near the World Trade Center after the attacks.
Trump made an important clarification: He was not claiming he was at Ground Zero when the Twin Towers collapsed on September 11.
Instead, he said he arrived shortly afterward.
“The Failing New York Magazine wrote a story that I wasn’t down at the World Trade Center after the Tragedy of September 11th, because nobody saw me there,” Trump wrote.
Trump said he traveled downtown with a large group of construction workers.
To support his response, the president posted archival footage showing him speaking with reporters in Lower Manhattan following the attacks.
That footage confirms Trump was in the area after September 11.
However, it does not by itself verify every detail of the president’s more recent account, including the episode involving the two firefighters.
That distinction has become central to the controversy.
Trump Says His Account Is Accurate
Trump also pointed to his former head of security, Matthew Calamari, saying Calamari has repeatedly confirmed the trip to Lower Manhattan.
“Everything I said was exactly accurate,” Trump declared.
The president argued that the controversy has persisted despite evidence showing he was in Lower Manhattan following the attacks.
Critics, however, are challenging something more specific.
The question isn’t simply whether Trump visited Lower Manhattan. Video evidence shows that he did.
The disagreement centers on what Trump did while he was there and whether the individual events he has described can be independently verified.
The latest story involving two firefighters is among those disputed details.
September 11 Claims Face Renewed Scrutiny
Trump’s activities following September 11 have been debated for years.
The president has previously discussed bringing workers downtown to assist after the disaster. Journalists and fact-checkers have questioned the extent of those efforts because independent documentation supporting some of Trump’s descriptions has been limited.
The latest firefighter story has brought those older questions back into the spotlight just as the nation prepares to commemorate 25 years since the attacks.
Trump remains adamant that his recollection is accurate.
His critics argue that footage establishing his presence in Lower Manhattan doesn’t necessarily establish that every event he remembers occurred exactly as described.
Trump Takes Aim at Maggie Haberman
The president also used his response to criticize New York Times White House correspondent Maggie Haberman over separate reporting about the September 11 anniversary.
Trump disputed reporting concerning whether he wanted to speak at the official World Trade Center remembrance ceremony in New York.
The annual ceremony traditionally avoids political speeches and instead focuses heavily on remembering those who were killed.
Trump said he was well aware of that tradition.
“I have been to the New York solemn ceremony numerous times, and nobody speaks,” Trump said.
He emphasized that politicians and public officials are not permitted to deliver speeches or remarks during the official ceremony.
Trump is instead expected to participate in the September 11 commemoration at the Pentagon.
America Marks 25 Years Since September 11
The political controversy comes as Americans prepare to commemorate a solemn milestone — 25 years since the September 11 terrorist attacks.
Nearly 3,000 people were killed after al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four commercial airplanes.
Two planes struck the World Trade Center towers in New York City. Another crashed into the Pentagon, while United Airlines Flight 93 went down in Pennsylvania after passengers and crew members fought back against the hijackers.
The attacks permanently changed the United States and American national security policy.
The consequences also continue to affect thousands of first responders, recovery workers and survivors suffering from illnesses associated with exposure to hazardous materials at Ground Zero.
For many Americans, the anniversary remains a day focused on remembering the victims, their families and the extraordinary courage displayed by firefighters, police officers, emergency personnel and ordinary citizens.
Trump Pushes Back Against His Critics
Against that solemn backdrop, Trump’s latest dispute has once again put his personal recollections of September 11 under intense scrutiny.
There are two separate issues at the center of the story.
First, Trump maintains that he traveled to Lower Manhattan shortly after the attacks. Archival footage confirms that he was in the area in the aftermath.
Second, Trump says two firefighters physically carried him away from a building because they feared it might collapse. That specific episode has faced scrutiny because independent evidence confirming it has not surfaced publicly.
Trump nevertheless says there is nothing inaccurate about his account.
“Everything I said was exactly accurate,” the president insisted.
Nearly 25 years after the attacks, the disagreement demonstrates how memories and claims surrounding one of America’s most consequential days continue to generate fierce debate.
For Trump, however, there appears to be little ambiguity about his position: He says he knows where he was, knows what happened and believes the evidence proves his critics wrong.
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