President Donald Trump addressed the nation on Tuesday from the Ellipse near the White House, marking the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks. A piece of structural steel from the collapsed World Trade Center was on display as part of a nonprofit commemoration. Trump described the steel as a reminder of American resilience before turning to his own recollection of the day.
In his speech he recounted standing next to the U.S. Steel Building as it creaked and was about to collapse. He said two large firefighters grabbed him and lifted him to safety, insisting the building would fall. Trump had told a similar story in a 2016 campaign stop in New Hampshire, describing a screech that convinced the firefighters it was going to come down.
First‑responders who were present at Ground Zero have said they never saw Trump on the ground, yet the former president continues to claim he was there and that crews from one of his construction projects helped with recovery. After the anecdote, Trump shifted to praise the country’s current strength, citing stock‑market gains and unverified statistics about labor participation.
Trump will also speak at a Pentagon ceremony on Friday, where 125 Pentagon workers and 59 passengers on Flight 77 died. He will not attend the annual World Trade Center commemoration, but Vice President Dan Vance will travel there in his place.
