Former President Donald Trump has once again claimed that he and his construction workers aided in the recovery efforts at ground zero in the immediate aftermath of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. This assertion, which Trump has made on multiple occasions over the years, lacks corroborating evidence and has drawn renewed criticism.
In a recent interview, Trump stated, "I went down. I was building a building in New York and I had a lot of construction workers. And I went down there very shortly thereafter — the following day, you couldn’t go down the same day, but like the following day, very very quickly afterwards — and we worked long and hard."
Variations of this claim have appeared in Trump's public statements since 2016, when he said he was present at ground zero and "helped a little bit." In 2019, he told first responders, "I was down there also... I spent a lot of time down there with you."
Records indicate Trump visited the World Trade Center site on September 13, 2001, two days after the attacks. A contemporary news report described him at the scene in lower Manhattan, speaking on a cell phone.
During an interview that same day with a German television station several blocks away, Trump stated he had "a couple of hundred people" either at the scene or en route. He has also shared a meme suggesting he was there with "hundreds of workers that he paid out of his own pocket."
However, these claims have not been substantiated. Richard Alles, a retired deputy chief of the New York City Fire Department, told Snopes in 2018 that he had no recollection of Trump or his employees participating in the recovery efforts. "There would have been no need for that. Between police, fire and the construction crews, we had it all covered," Alles said, adding that construction crews involved came through trade unions.
Critics have highlighted that Trump's assertion is unsubstantiated and have pointed to other 9/11-related claims he has made over the years, some of which have also been disputed. These include claims of losing "hundreds" of friends, bragging about owning the tallest building in lower Manhattan shortly after the attacks, stating he witnessed people jump from the Twin Towers from his apartment miles away, and alleging he saw "thousands" of Muslims cheering the attacks in Jersey City, New Jersey.
Following Trump's recent remarks, users on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) voiced skepticism and sharp criticism, with some labeling the claim a "lie" and "disgusting."