President Donald Trump has repeatedly described his actions following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in recent weeks, but fact-checkers say central claims in his accounts lack independent verification.
In a Sept. 6 Fox News interview with Trey Gowdy, Trump said he was developing a New York property with many construction workers and visited Ground Zero the day after the attacks. "Very quickly afterwards. And we worked long and hard," he said.
PolitiFact found no evidence supporting Trump's claim that he brought hundreds of workers to the site. Trump World Tower, which his organization was developing, sits in Midtown Manhattan, roughly five miles from the World Trade Center.
At a Sept. 8 White House event honoring 9/11 first responders, Trump offered a different account. He said two firefighters carried him from the area because One Liberty Plaza—formerly the U.S. Steel Building—appeared unstable.
"We thought it was coming down on top of us, and two firemen, big strong guys—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," Trump said. He added that the firefighters ran with him and that the building ultimately stood.
Evidence supports that One Liberty Plaza stability concerns prompted evacuations. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York's website states employees were forced to leave their building on Sept. 12 due to collapse fears related to One Liberty Plaza. But no accounts corroborate Trump's presence during that evacuation or his being carried by firefighters.
Trump's earliest documented presence near Ground Zero is Sept. 13, 2001, when he gave an interview to a German television station and spoke with other reporters. At the time, he said he had workers assisting in recovery.
When PolitiFact asked the White House for details about Trump's time at Ground Zero and the number of workers he provided, the White House referred inquiries to the Trump Organization. The Trump Organization did not respond.
