Social media users have blasted the president as he’s accused of ‘fantasying’ about 9/11 after he shared a story on how he was ‘evacuated’ from the scene of the terror attack in 2001
Donald Trump has been accused of making up lies about being at ground zero during the 9/11 terror attack on the World Trade Center. Commentors on social media have accused the president of “fantasying” in his speeches as there are no credible reports of the president evacuating ground zero during the horrific terror attack.
While speaking at Ellipse near the White House, Trump has claimed in the aftermath of the attack fire fighters grabbed and lifted him up from the US Steel building, helping him get to safety. The former US Steel Building was located directly adjacent to the World Trade Complex. The building, now named One Liberty Plaza, stood a mere 160 meters away from the South Tower and a 240 meters from the North Tower back in 2001.
At the rally Trump stated: “We had other buildings. The United States Steel Building was creaking. Really creaking. And we thought it was going to fall down. The truth is, it creaked a lot. It creaked. It still creaks.
“But it never came down. And I’ll never forget the 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.
“They 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, ‘Fellows, I can run myself,’ but they were amazing. But they thought it was coming down. It didn’t come down. US Steel.”
Trump added: “Everyone who helped clear the rubble, and I was there, and I watched, and I helped a little bit, but I want to tell you those people were amazing. Clearing the rubble, trying to find additional lives, you didn’t know what was going to come down on all of us, and they handled it.”
Trump has told this story once before during his 2016 campaign trail at New Hampshire. However many have taken issue at his claims of being evacuated from the US Steel building.
While the US Steel building was evacuated during 9/11 there are no supporting accounts claiming the now-president was in the premises during 9/11, Politifact reports.
On the day of the attack Trump called into the New York TV station WWOR-TV from his office in Trump Tower and described what he saw during the ordeal.
The President’s Trump Tower office was located about 4 miles from the World Trade Center in 2001. During the interview Trump stated: “I have a window that looks directly at the World Trade Center. I saw this huge explosion, I was with a group of people. I really couldn’t even believe it.”
Social media users have blasted Trump over the conflicting story. One furious commenter wrote: “He’s been known to lie. Why does this revised narrative of his actions on that tragic day surprise anyone?”
Another penned: “So many lies it’s exhausting.”
A third stated: “He’s just adding his yaoi fantasies to his speeches now.”