Fact Check: The Fake Truth Social Post About Trump and the 9/11 Memorial
Claim:
In August 2026, U.S. President Donald Trump allegedly shared a post on Truth Social claiming that the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in New York barred him from speaking at the 25th-anniversary remembrance ceremony, prompting him to look into “shutting them down permanently.”
Rating: Originated as Satire
Overview of the Rumor
As the 25th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks approached, social media users began sharing a screenshot of a purported Truth Social post from Donald Trump.
The fake post claimed that the 9/11 Memorial and Museum commission refused to let him speak at the event. It went on to make increasingly absurd claims—stating that he single-handedly saved 500,000 people from the burning towers, ran 110 floors at least 50 times in 30 minutes to pull people from tight spaces, and planned to tear down the memorial to build a statue of himself “as tall as the World Trade Center.”
A reverse image search revealed that the screenshot was heavily circulated across Facebook groups and meme platforms like 9GAG.
Investigation
Inquiries poured in from readers questioning whether the viral screenshot was authentic. Fact-checkers investigated the claim by reviewing Trump’s official Truth Social feed and searching major archives via Google, DuckDuckGo, and Yahoo.
No such post was ever made or deleted. If a sitting U.S. president had publicly claimed to have rescued half a million people and threatened to bulldoze the 9/11 museum for a massive personal statue, mainstream news organizations would have covered it extensively. No such reporting exists.
While a few social media users initially expressed confusion, the majority quickly identified the image as fabricated humor and labeled it as satire due to its wildly exaggerated claims.
Context: Trump’s Actual Plans for the 25th Anniversary
The satirical post emerged amid genuine news surrounding the upcoming 25th anniversary of the 2001 attacks, which claimed nearly 3,000 lives.
A report published by The New York Times cited anonymous sources claiming Trump opted out of attending the New York ceremony because organizers would not allow him to speak. Both the White House and Trump disputed the report.
A spokesperson for the 9/11 Memorial & Museum clarified that the institution deliberately keeps its commemorations free of politics, enforcing a long-standing policy that politicians are not permitted to deliver remarks and must remain in designated areas.
Addressing the controversy directly, Trump took to Truth Social on August 28 to criticize Times journalist Maggie Haberman and clarify his position:
“I would love not to speak, because I’m speaking all the time, and this is a day to remember the victims, and their beautiful family members.”
Rather than attending the New York event, the White House confirmed that Trump plans to participate in the remembrance ceremony at the Pentagon. Meanwhile, Vice President JD Vance is scheduled to travel to New York, ensuring that all three primary 9/11 memorial sites—including Shanksville, Pennsylvania—will have high-ranking administration officials in attendance.