Donald Trump has hit back at critics who branded his account of visiting Ground Zero after the 9/11 attacks "fake," including a claim that firefighters pulled him from a creaking, unstable building. The row began after Trump repeated the story during a White House speech honouring 9/11 first responders, prompting figures such as California Governor Gavin Newsom and broadcaster Rachel Maddow to accuse him of lying, with the criticism amplified after New York Magazine reported he had told a "weird lie" about his whereabouts that day. The dispute matters because it feeds into wider disputes over the accuracy of Trump's personal recollections and comes just days before the anniversary of the attacks.

Trump watched the towers fall from Trump Tower and has long claimed he later brought around 100 construction workers to the site, but it is his newer account of being physically lifted out of a wobbling building by two firefighters that has drawn scepticism. He responded on Truth Social with a lengthy post defending the story's accuracy, citing his former security chief Matthew Calamari as a corroborating witness and pointing to past interviews describing similar scenes. He also disputed reports suggesting he was snubbed from speaking at the Manhattan memorial ceremony, insisting no politicians are permitted to speak there; Trump is instead due to mark the anniversary with remarks at the Pentagon on Friday, while Vice President JD Vance attends the New York service.