USA · updated 56m ago · 3 min read
Donald Trump Honors 9/11 Victims at the Ellipse, Vows to Never Forget
Trump honors 9/11 victims at the Ellipse, vows to never forget. Trump claims firefighters carried him from Ground Zero; fact-checkers call it unverified.
Whether Trump’s rescue claim is evidenced or misleading.
10 of 12 outlets skipped it: trump says two firefighters physically lifted him up and started running.
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Same story, two versions
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CNN
“He was miles away from the World Trade Center on 9/11 and was not whisked out of any building near Ground Zero that day.”Read the original ↗
Al-Jazirah Net
“He stated on the Truth Social platform that he was not present at the World Trade Center site on the day of the collapse itself, but was there shortly after”
Translated from the original.
Read the original ↗CNN fact-checks Trump’s firefighters claim with distance and missing evidence, while Al Jazeera spotlights shifting narratives and context without ruling out o…
Steel Beam Ceremony
President Donald Trump honored victims of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks at the Ellipse outside the White House, vowing to “never forget.”
“vowing to “never forget.””
The ceremony was spearheaded by the Tunnel to Towers Foundation and featured a massive 21-foot, nearly 17,000-pound steel beam recovered from the South Tower of the World Trade Center in New York.
Trump said, “This battered piece of steel here today on the Ellipse is a reminder that America is blessed with a strength no fire can consume, no evil can conquer and no terror can destroy,” as the event kicked off a week of commemorations culminating on Friday with an event at the Pentagon that Trump will attend.
Trump also paid tribute to Jeffrey Palazzo, a New York City firefighter, and Welles Crowther, a young equities trader known as the “man in the red bandanna,” and he said the U.S. Coast Guard will commission a new fast-response cutter this weekend in New York in honor of Palazzo.
Frank Siller, the foundation’s chairman and CEO and the brother of Stephen Siller, said, “It’s important to recognize that the heroism that was exhibited that fateful day was nothing short of incredible.”
Firefighters Claim Sparks
As the 25th anniversary approaches, Trump’s remarks about being rescued by firefighters near the World Trade Center site sparked controversy, with CNN saying his story has been fact-checked as misleading.
CNN reported that the White House said in an unsigned Tuesday email, “He was a private citizen at the time, not everything he did was documented.”C
Trump, speaking at a Steel Across America event, claimed the United States Steel Building was “creaking, really creaking,” and said, “two firemen - big, strong guys… they literally lifted me up.”
CNN said Trump was miles away from the World Trade Center on 9/11 and that he “was not whisked out of any building near Ground Zero that day,” while a White House spokesperson Davis Ingle said the president was relaying his experience of a city reeling after the attacks.C
In response to the criticism, Trump added in a social media post Tuesday night that “everything I said was exactly accurate.”
Commemoration Week and
The Ellipse ceremony marked the start of a week of commemorations that will culminate in several events on Friday, including one at the Pentagon that Trump will attend.
“culminate in several events on Friday, including one at the Pentagon”
ABC News said the steel beam will make its way through New York in a procession on Friday by retracing the steps of fallen New York City firefighter Stephen Siller, and it said Trump’s presence at the event began that week.
Trump also said the United States Coast Guard will commission a new fast-response cutter this weekend in New York in honor of Palazzo, and he recognized Crowther by awarding him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, with Crowther’s mother, Alison, and sister, Paige, accepting.
Separate coverage described Trump’s promise to use “all its power” to prevent another 9/11, with the statement delivered this Tuesday during a commemorative event held in front of the White House.
The same account tied the anniversary to security and foreign policy debates, saying Trump referred to Iran and asserted that country will not obtain a nuclear weapon, adding, “Right now we are fighting because there is a nation that wanted a nuclear weapon,” referring to Iran.