World
Trump Recounts Rescue by Firefighters at 9/11 Event, Skips New York Anniversary Ceremony
By AFP
President Donald Trump offered a new account of his experiences following the September 11, 2001 attacks during a White House event on Tuesday, September 8, 2026, claiming two firefighters physically pulled him to safety near an unstable building. "And I'll never forget," Trump said, "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!'"
The remarks came during an event honoring emergency personnel who died on 9/11 and represent the latest version of a story Trump has told repeatedly over the years about his actions following the attacks, in which he has cast himself as playing a heroic role, including various accounts of leading workers to Ground Zero. However, U.S. media outlets report that rescue officials present at the time dispute Trump's version of events.
The comments come as questions swirl about Trump's decision not to attend the 25th anniversary commemoration in New York, where 2,977 people died when Al-Qaeda hijackers crashed planes into the World Trade Center towers. Instead, Trump plans to mark the occasion on Friday, September 11, at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., another site targeted in the 2001 attacks.
The White House and Trump have pushed back against reports suggesting he chose the Pentagon location because he was denied a speaking role at the New York memorial. "This is more Corrupt News, I've been to New York many times over the years, and no one ever speaks, it's a 'solemn ceremony!'" Trump wrote on Truth Social last week.
Despite the denial, Trump's absence will keep him away from the primary commemorative events in New York. Vice President J.D. Vance and all four of Trump's living presidential predecessors -- Democrats Joe Biden, Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, along with Republican George W. Bush, who was president during the 2001 attacks -- are expected to attend the Ground Zero ceremony. Following the Pentagon visit on Friday, Trump is scheduled to travel to Ireland, where he will attend the Irish Open golf tournament at his family's golf course over the weekend.
The decision to skip New York breaks from Trump's typical pattern of positioning himself centrally in the 9/11 narrative. Two days after the attacks in 2001, Trump told reporters he had visited Ground Zero and dispatched 100 workers to assist with recovery efforts -- a claim that CNN and The New York Times reported was disputed by people who were present at the site.
At Tuesday's White House event, held on the Ellipse where a steel beam recovered from the World Trade Center's South Tower was displayed, Trump described the day of the attacks as a "beautiful morning" before he saw a news alert on television and looked out his window, where he "saw things that I never want to see again." He said he was overseeing a construction project at the time and "took the whole crew down there right after this happened."
Later that evening, Trump posted a lengthy clarification on Truth Social. "I was there, obviously not on the same day as the collapse, but shortly thereafter, with a large group of Construction Workers," he wrote, adding, "I was there as soon as the Law allowed." The post included a video of him responding to reporters' questions and criticized journalists for what he called "fake news."
During Tuesday's ceremony, Trump also presented the nation's highest civilian honor to the family of Welles Crowther, a volunteer firefighter and equities trader who died while helping evacuate people from the South Tower. Crowther became known as the "Man in the Red Bandana" after survivors recounted stories of a mysterious figure who covered his nose and mouth with a red bandana while guiding them to safety. Reflecting on Crowther's legacy, Trump remarked, "The Man in the Red Bandana. He's become more famous than me, I don't like it," followed by a chuckle.