While all four former U.S. presidents are in New York City today to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the September 11 terror attacks, President Trump instead opted to go to the Pentagon for the day. Vice President JD Vance will instead be at the Ground Zero ceremony, organized by the 9/11 Memorial & Museum.
The New York Times reported Trump decided to miss the New York event “in part because he wanted to deliver a speech and the annual event has long barred remarks.” He last attended the ceremony in 2024. Trump quickly denied this report, posting on Truth Social, “I’m not going to the World Trade Center, in New York City, because they won’t let me make a speech, and I’m going to the Pentagon in D.C., because I’m a featured speaker. This is more Corrupt News, I’ve been to New York many times over the years, and no one ever speaks, it’s a ‘solemn ceremony!’”
Earlier this week, Trump told a story claiming firefighters carried him away from Ground Zero. “We thought it was coming down on top of us, and two firemen, big strong guys,” he said. “And I’m not the smallest guy in the world. They grabbed me under the arm, said, ‘Got to get out of here.’ And they literally lifted me up. This is not easy to do. I’m big. They lifted me up and they started running with me. I said, ‘Fellas, I can run myself,’ but they were amazing.” There remains no evidence of this claim besides Trump’s own telling.
As New York Times noted, “Trump was watching television the morning of the attacks, which is verifiable from news coverage of that day, but what he did next has long been a matter of debate. He has repeatedly said that he took a construction crew with him to Lower Manhattan and was deeply involved in cleaning up the site, a claim that has been called into question by at least one former fire official who was involved in the recovery effort.”
Emily Burack (she/her) is the Deputy Digital Editor for Town & Country, where she covers entertainment, celebrities, the royals, and a wide range of other topics. Before joining T&C, she was the deputy managing editor at Hey Alma, a Jewish culture site. Follow her @emburack on Instagram, Twitter, and other social media platforms.
