WASHINGTON, DC — Donald Trump has frequently asserted that he deployed hundreds of construction personnel to Ground Zero following the September 11 terrorist attacks. He reiterated this narrative during a recent media appearance leading up to the 25th anniversary of 9/11. Here, we examine the validity of these assertions.
The Claim: Deploying Workers and Encounters with First Responders
During a Fox News interview with Trey Gowdy broadcast on September 6, Trump recounted visiting the World Trade Center location the day after the tragedy.
“I was building a building in New York, and I had a lot of construction workers,” Trump stated. “And I went down there very shortly thereafter, the following day,” noting further that “We worked long and hard.”
Days later, at a September 8 White House Ellipse event honoring 9/11 emergency personnel, Trump shared an additional anecdote regarding his presence near the site. He described an incident where One Liberty Plaza (then known as the US Steel Building) began making structural noises.
Recalling the event, Trump mentioned, “We thought it was coming down on top of us,” and claimed two firefighters intervened by placing him under the arms and “literally lifted me up.” He added, “They lifted me up, and they started running with me.”
Variations of these claims have been shared by Trump over the years, maintaining that he spent substantial time at Ground Zero and dispatched hundreds of laborers to assist.
Back on September 13, 2001, in interviews conducted near the location, Trump remarked, “I have a lot of men down here right now,” while suggesting additional personnel were en route.
Fact Check: Unsubstantiated and Unsupported by Evidence
Investigations into these assertions have found no documentation or proof that Trump supplied hundreds of workers to the recovery zone. In September 2001, the Trump World Tower was under construction in Midtown Manhattan, roughly five miles away from the World Trade Center complex.
Richard Alles, who served as a New York Fire Department battalion chief during the attacks, informed PolitiFact in a prior interview that he had no record or recollection of Trump visiting Ground Zero or contributing a workforce of 100 or more individuals to the recovery efforts.
“There would be a record of it,” Alles stated. “Everybody worked under direct supervision of the police and fire department and the joint commander for emergency services.”
No. There is no evidence that Trump was lifted out of the 9/11 rubble by firefighters.
The clip circulating today is Trump telling a version of a story he has used before: two “big strong” firefighters grabbed him under the arms and ran him out of an area near Ground Zero after…
— Mitch Richards (@MitchM64230) September 8, 2026
Alles added, “Is there a chance he was ever down there by himself and I didn’t know it? It’s possible, but I know of no one who ever witnessed him there.”
Public analyses have continued to challenge the narrative, with social media commentary pointing out the lack of verification regarding the account of being carried away by emergency responders from the rubble.