California Governor Gavin Newsom has publicly accused President Donald Trump of fabricating a dramatic account of his actions following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Newsom's rebuke came after Trump, during a White House event honoring first responders, described being physically carried away from One Liberty Plaza by two firefighters who feared the building was about to collapse.
Speaking at the event, Trump recounted: "They lifted me up and they started running with me. I said, 'Fellas, I can run myself.' But they were amazing. But they thought it was coming down. It didn't come down." The president's anecdote quickly drew skepticism from critics, including journalists and political opponents.
Newsom shared a post on X by journalist Aaron Rupar, which characterized Trump's story as if he had been "basically lifted out of the rubble on 9/11." In a pointed response, Newsom wrote: "An absolutely disgusting thing to lie about." The California Democrat's comment has intensified the ongoing political feud between the two figures, both of whom are often mentioned as potential 2028 presidential contenders.
New York Magazine also dismissed the president's account as a "weird lie," prompting Trump to fire back on his Truth Social platform. He insisted he was "obviously not" at Ground Zero on the day of the attacks, but said he arrived "shortly thereafter, with a large group of Construction workers." The president's defense, however, has not quelled questions about the accuracy of his claims.
At the time of the attacks, Trump was a businessman based in Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue. He famously called into WWOR-TV as the events unfolded, noting that his building had become the tallest in lower Manhattan after the Twin Towers collapsed. The earliest known footage of Trump near the Ground Zero area dates to September 13, 2001, when he gave two separate interviews. In those interviews, he claimed his company had more than 100 workers assisting in recovery efforts.
That claim has been challenged. Richard Alles, a former New York Fire Department battalion chief, told PolitiFact in 2019 that there would be a record of Trump and his workers at the site. "Is there a chance he was ever down there by himself and I didn't know it? It's possible, but I know of no one who ever witnessed him there," Alles said.
Conversely, Bernard Kerik, the former New York City police commissioner, told Breitbart News in 2019 that Trump visited the area "numerous times" to "motivate and inspire the men and women down there that were working on the pile." The conflicting accounts have become a flashpoint in the broader debate over Trump's relationship with first responders and his handling of national tragedies.
Trump is scheduled to deliver a speech at the Pentagon for the 25th anniversary of the attacks, one of the sites hit by hijacked planes. He will not attend the commemoration in New York City, where the four surviving former presidents and Vice President Vance are expected to be present. The president's absence from the New York ceremony, combined with the controversy over his anecdote, has drawn renewed attention to his 9/11 record.
Newsom's accusation is the latest in a series of clashes between the two politicians. The California governor has repeatedly criticized Trump's policies and rhetoric, and the 9/11 dispute adds a personal dimension to their rivalry. As the 2028 election cycle approaches, both figures are likely to remain in the spotlight, with their handling of historical events under heightened scrutiny.
