Trump Claims He Was at Ground Zero Day After 9/11 Attacks

<figure><img alt="President Donald Trump insisted on Thursday that he was not sleeping in his previous Cabinet meetings when he had his eyes closed, but said he shut his eyes because the meetings were" src="https://thedailybeast-thedailybeast-prod.web.arc-cdn.net/resizer/v2/6X4EA36CVFAOPPOGGB5VKCTBDE.jpg?auth=6713efc04ee233de1e2692dddb9692cd451ebe0a0a01157bdffa8ca4a69476f0&amp;smart=true&amp;width=5900&amp;height=3319" /><figcaption>Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images</figcaption></figure><p>Donald Trump has made a claim regarding his involvement in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, terror attacks. During an interview with Fox News on Sunday, he stated, “I went down... the following day, very quickly afterwards, and we worked long and hard, but it was just so terrible, so hopeless.”</p><p>This is not the first time Trump has claimed to have visited Ground Zero, but it is the first time he has specified a timeline for that visit. Previously, he made similar claims during a 2019 signing ceremony for a bill related to healthcare for first responders and in a 2021 interview with Newsmax.</p><p>Richard Alles, a former deputy chief with the New York Fire Department, expressed skepticism regarding Trump's claims, stating, “I spent many months there myself, and I never witnessed him.” He noted that Trump was a private citizen at the time and questioned the nature of his involvement.</p><p>Trump also claimed to have had over 100 construction workers assisting at the site shortly after the attacks. However, his spokeswoman did not confirm whether any of those workers had suffered from illnesses related to the toxic environment at Ground Zero.</p><p>Timothy O’Brien, Trump's biographer, pointed out that at the time of the attacks, Trump only employed around 12 people at the Trump Organization, raising doubts about his ability to mobilize hundreds of workers. O’Brien remarked, “He’s very comfortable propagandizing that event for political purposes.”</p><p>On the day of the attacks, Trump called WWOR-TV and mentioned that his building, 40 Wall Street, was the tallest in the area after the collapse of the World Trade Center, which was inaccurate. He has also made various claims about witnessing people jumping from the buildings and has stated that he saw American Muslims celebrating the attacks, which have not been substantiated.</p><p>Trump has criticized former President Joe Biden for inaccurately claiming he was at Ground Zero the day after the attacks, when Biden actually visited eight days later. Biden, along with former presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama, is scheduled to attend the 25th anniversary ceremony in New York, while Trump plans to visit the Pentagon. The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for comment on this matter.</p><p><a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/donald-trumps-bogus-911-rescue/">Read more at The Daily Beast.</a></p>