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Fact-checking Trump's accounts of his own 9/11 response

From PBS NewsHour · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Analysis Named sources Context piece
  • Donald Trump repeated claims that he went to Ground Zero soon after the Sept. 11 attacks and brought construction workers to aid recovery efforts.
  • Available accounts place Trump's earliest documented visit near the site on Sept. 13, 2001, and do not support his claim that he brought hundreds of workers.
  • Records support evacuations prompted by fears that a nearby building could collapse, but do not specifically place Trump at the scene during those events.

Donald Trump has revived stories about his response to the Sept. 11 attacks, including a claim that firefighters carried him away from Ground Zero as a nearby building appeared ready to collapse. The account came in a Fox News interview and at a White House Ellipse event ahead of the attacks' 25th anniversary.

Trump said he went to the site the day after the attacks because he could not go on Sept. 11. He also described two firefighters grabbing him under the arms and running with him after fears that One Liberty Plaza, formerly known as the U.S. Steel Building, might collapse. "We thought it was coming down on top of us, and two firemen, big strong guys, they grabbed me under the arm, said, 'Got to get out of here,' and they literally lifted me up," he said.

There are accounts that concerns about the building's stability prompted evacuations, including a Federal Reserve Bank of New York history page that says employees left the Fed building on Sept. 12. None of those accounts specifically says Trump was there.

We thought it was coming down on top of us, and two firemen, big strong guys, they grabbed me under the arm, said, 'Got to get out of here,' and they literally lifted me up.

· Donald TrumpTrump's account at a White House Ellipse event of firefighters carrying him away because of fears that a nearby building might collapse.

The earliest video or photograph identified by PolitiFact showing Trump near Ground Zero dates to Sept. 13, 2001. Trump told reporters that day that he had workers helping with recovery. He has repeatedly said he spent substantial time at the site and brought hundreds of workers, but PolitiFact and other fact-checkers found no evidence supporting the claim about hundreds of workers.

When PolitiFact sought details about Trump's time at Ground Zero and the number of workers involved, the White House referred the organization to the Trump Organization. The company did not respond to a request for comment.

I have a lot of men down here right now.

· Donald TrumpTrump told a German television station on Sept. 13, 2001, that workers were aiding recovery near Ground Zero.
About this summary

Originally published by PBS NewsHour in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.