Trump again casts himself at the centre of 9/11 story during White House commemoration

President Donald Trump repeated a disputed personal account of his actions after the September 11, 2001 attacks while speaking at a White House event honouring emergency personnel killed that day.

What he said at the White House

Speaking on the White House Ellipse, Trump said two firefighters “grabbed me under the arm, said, ‘Got to get out of here!'” and described believing a nearby building “was coming down on top of us.” He said he “took the whole crew down there right after this happened” while describing overseeing a building project at the time.

Disputed account and ongoing narrative

The remarks are the latest version of a story Trump has told over the years that portrays him as taking workers to Ground Zero after the attacks. US media have reported that rescue officials present at the time dispute Trump’s account.

Responses and further comments

On Truth Social later on Tuesday, Trump wrote:

“I was there, obviously not on the same day as the collapse, but shortly thereafter, with a large group of Construction Workers”

and added,

“I was there as soon as the Law allowed”

as he accused journalists of spreading “fake news.”

Commemoration plans and movements

Trump will not be in New York for the 25th anniversary of the attacks. Instead, he is due to pay his respects at the Pentagon in Washington on Friday and later fly to Ireland to attend the Irish Open golf tournament at his family’s golf course over the weekend. Trump and the White House have denied reports that he chose the Pentagon because he was not allowed to deliver a speech at the 9/11 memorial.

Honouring a 9/11 hero

At the event, Trump presented the highest US civilian honour to the family of volunteer firefighter Welles Crowther, who was killed while helping lead people out of the South Tower. Crowther became known as the “man in the red bandana” after survivors spoke of a mysterious man wearing one; Trump joked,

“The Man in the Red Bandana. He’s become more famous than me, I don’t like it,”

delivering the remark with a chuckle.

What remains contested

While Trump insists his visits and actions after 9/11 occurred as he describes, accounts of those on the ground at the time differ, and media outlets have reported disputes with rescue officials about his version of events.