Did Trump say he owned ‘tallest’ building in downtown Manhattan after 9/11?

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            <p class="fact_check_info_description">Whether these statements constituted unseemly boasting, as asserted by various social media users, remains a matter of personal perspective.</p>
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<p dir="ltr"><span>As the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks approaches, online discussions have resurfaced regarding a </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/meidastouch/posts/pfbid02EeQUQsZAy8SxVg4DjfwMkcdbBKdsJqUTGaYNcmn7uHQ6q3L6sBaBE7ybqHr3dqwQl"><span>claim</span></a><span> (</span><a href="https://perma.cc/V9DZ-ZKH6"><span>archived</span></a><span>) that Donald Trump pointed out his newfound status as the owner of downtown Manhattan's tallest building immediately following the tragedy.</span></p>

<p dir="ltr"><span>The progressive digital platform MeidasTouch, for instance, published </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/meidastouch/posts/pfbid02EeQUQsZAy8SxVg4DjfwMkcdbBKdsJqUTGaYNcmn7uHQ6q3L6sBaBE7ybqHr3dqwQl"><span>a Facebook statement</span></a><span> asserting:</span></p>

<blockquote>
    <p dir="ltr"><span>During a television broadcast on the very day of the attacks, Trump made a point to highlight how the destruction of the World Trade Center shifted rankings in his favor, declaring that 40 Wall Street was now downtown's highest skyscraper.</span></p>
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<p dir="ltr"><span>Similar assertions spread widely across </span><a href="https://x.com/RpsAgainstTrump/status/2096791429259415795"><span>X</span></a><span> and </span><a href="https://x.com/atrupar/status/2097343741845524684"><span>X</span></a> (archived <a href="https://perma.cc/9SDB-6JXZ">here</a> and <a href="https://perma.cc/M6VE-RHTD">here</a>), as well as <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reels/DdC9jjSEX27/"><span>Instagram</span></a><span> (</span><a href="https://perma.cc/X4SM-PRZJ"><span>archived</span></a><span>), prompting numerous inquiries from readers seeking verification.</span></p>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter_tweet_display_box">
    <p lang="en" dir="ltr">Reminder: Donald Trump's immediate reaction to the 9/11 attacks was to brag that his building was now the tallest in downtown Manhattan after the Twin Towers collapsed. <a href="https://t.co/iAkUeGafG9">pic.twitter.com/iAkUeGafG9</a></p>
    <p>— Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) <a href="https://x.com/RpsAgainstTrump/status/2096791429259415795?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 7, 2026</a></p>
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<p dir="ltr"><span>Audio and video records confirm that Trump did indeed </span><a href="https://youtu.be/PcKlPhFIE7w?si=bYtVrRCJuUaVBmcI&amp;t=125"><span>tell</span></a><span> a journalist shortly after the catastrophe that </span><a href="https://40wallstreet.com/"><span>40 Wall Street</span></a><span>—which remains under Trump Organization ownership—was "the tallest" structure standing in lower Manhattan. Consequently, the attribution of this quote is verified as accurate.</span></p>

<p dir="ltr"><span>Whether those words qualify as boasting is subjective and left for the public to decide. </span></p>

<p dir="ltr"><span>Footage shared by Fox 5 New York captures a 2016 retrospective of a phone conversation between Trump and WWOR-TV broadcaster Alan Marcus. The commentary about building heights emerged after Marcus inquired whether 40 Wall Street had suffered any structural harm. The dialogue unfolded as follows:</span></p>

<blockquote>
    <p dir="ltr"><span>Marcus: Donald, you have one of the landmark buildings down in the financial district, 40 Wall Street, did you have any damage or did you know what's happened down there?</span></p>
    <p dir="ltr"><span>Trump: Well, it was an amazing phone call I made. <strong>40 Wall Street actually was the second-tallest building in downtown Manhattan. And it was, actually before the World Trade Center, was the tallest. And then when they built the World Trade Center, it became known as the second-tallest. And now it's the tallest.</strong></span></p>
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<p dir="ltr"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcKlPhFIE7w"></iframe></p>

<p dir="ltr">Later in that same 2001 broadcast, Marcus <a href="https://youtu.be/PcKlPhFIE7w?si=KYYOY0sGtSu0uXgM&amp;t=254">inquired</a> how Trump would have responded to the crisis as commander-in-chief, touching on his exploratory presidential ambitions from the prior year. Trump replied that he would have pursued a "very, very tough line" against the perpetrators.</p>

<p dir="ltr">Reflecting on the exchange during a 2016 <a href="https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/09/trump-hillary-clinton-september-11-911-attacks-nyc-214236/">interview</a> with Politico, Marcus characterized the remarks as typical behavior, noting, "He is the brand manager of Trump, and he is going to tout that brand, and he does it reflexively."</p>

<p dir="ltr">From a factual standpoint, Trump's assertion regarding 40 Wall Street being the absolute tallest building downtown at that moment was inaccurate. The nearby <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/70_Pine_Street" target="_blank"><span draggable="true">70 Pine Street</span></a> tower, which stood at 952 feet, exceeded 40 Wall Street's height by 26 feet.</p>

<p dir="ltr"><span>For further background, previous investigations have explored related historical claims, such as whether Trump alleged he was barred from speaking at the National September 11 Memorial &amp; Museum's anniversary event.</span></p>

<p dir="ltr"><i><span>Additional material from historical files was utilized in preparing this overview.</span></i></p>