Fred Trump III has publicly broken his silence on X regarding his uncle’s recent claims about his proximity to the 9/11 attacks, calling the narrative presented by President Donald Trump deeply frustrating. In his post, Fred wrote, “I try not to comment personally about my uncle, but his claim that he brought a crew of workers to help at the sight so offends me that I need to speak out.”
“He was not building a “big building “ at the time,” he pointed out. “The only crew he claimed to bring to the site would have been secretarial and accounting employees from Trump Tower I knew many of them, and pretty sure they were not capable physically to help (if they could, I am sure they would try).” He then addressed the claims about the U.S. Steel building.
“Regarding the US Steel Building, ironically, the grandfather of a very close friend of mine was one of the original engineers- the bldg was built strong. Second, the brother of a partner of mine was an engineer that was immediately called to perform an inspection. While people were originally concerned, it was eventually cleared for occupancy- not creaking and ready to fall. I hope this brings some truth to that story,” Fred noted in his post
A direct response to a questionable claim
Fred’s rebuke comes after Trump repeated several claims during an event with The Tunnel to Towers Foundation outside the White House on September 8. Per PEOPLE, during the event, the president claimed he brought a crew of workers to the World Trade Center site to assist in recovery efforts. Per PEOPLE, he also recounted a story about being physically carried to safety by two firefighters due to fears that a nearby building was on the verge of collapsing.
Trump reportedly claimed, “The United States Steel building was creaking, really creaking, and we thought it was going to fall down because it creaked a lot. It creaked. It still creaks. But it never came down. I will never forget. Two firemen, we thought it was coming down on top of us and two firemen, big strong guys — and I’m not the smallest guy in the world — they grabbed me under the arms, said, ‘Gotta get out of here,’ and they literally lifted me up.”
Per PEOPLE, Trump has been recounting the story of being whisked away by firemen since his campaign in 2016, but the claims lack substantive proof. Later, Trump took to Truth Social to provide proof of his presence, claiming, “Everything I said was exactly accurate.”
He then offered proof: “Again, check out the clips of me at the World Trade Center site. I was there as soon as the Law allowed.” PEOPLE noted that photos attached to his posts seem to place him in Lower Manhattan between September 13th and 18th, 2001. However, none place him near the debris of the World Trade Center.
CNN noted that while the president claimed he went to Ground Zero “right after this happened,” he was actually at Trump Tower in Midtown Manhattan during the time of the attacks. Furthermore, there is no public record or evidence to support the claim that he brought a construction crew to assist with the recovery.
Per CNN, Richard Alles, a retired New York Fire Department official who served as a battalion chief on 9/11, previously noted to The New York Times that if such a large group of workers had been deployed, there would have been an official record. Especially since all work done at the site was under the direct supervision of emergency services.
Additionally, per CNN, there were genuine concerns and evacuations at the One Liberty Plaza or US Steel building shortly after the attacks. However, the building was deemed structurally sound and reopened for business less than two months after the tragedy. The assertion that the building “still creaks” has no factual basis, as the structure has functioned normally for years.
Interestingly, Ted Cruz tried to defend Trump by noting that 9/11 took place 25 years ago. White House spokesperson Davis Ingle addressed the criticism by focusing on the president’s intent. Ingle told PEOPLE, “President Trump spent the morning paying tribute to the heroic first responders who laid down their lives in service to others in the September 11th attacks and honoring their incredible families.”
He noted, “The President was relaying his experience of a city reeling immediately after and in the days and weeks after the horrific attacks – and the fact that the failing legacy media is using this to try to attack him is a disgrace and yet another reason why Americans’ trust in the media is at an all-time low.”
Despite his argument, the discrepancies between Trump’s evolving story and the historical account remain.
Published: Sep 10, 2026 07:49 am