--- title: "Trump's 9/11 claims about Ground Zero work face scrutiny" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/politics/trumps-911-claims-about-ground-zero-work-face-scrutiny" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/trumps-911-claims-about-ground-zero-work-face-scrutiny" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/politics/trumps-911-claims-about-ground-zero-work-face-scrutiny.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/trumps-911-claims-about-ground-zero-work-face-scrutiny" category: "Politics" area: "United States" published: "2026-09-07T20:45:39.444Z" source_reported: "2026-09-07T20:30:30.000Z" updated: "2026-09-07T21:45:16.328Z" trust_score: 42 critic_score: 60 hype_score: 41 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-09-07T20:37:55.200Z" --- # Trump's 9/11 claims about Ground Zero work face scrutiny *Former president's accounts of his actions after the attacks have been questioned by first responders and fact-checkers.* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 42 of 100, higher is better. Central claim attributed to Trump, but relies on anonymous sourcing for counterclaims and lacks independent corroboration. - Craft 60 of 100, higher is better. Reports include direct quotes and attribute claims, but lack balance by not quoting those who dispute Trump's account. - Hype 41 of 100, lower is better. Headlines and language suggest Trump is lying, creating a sense of manufactured outrage. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - Donald Trump stated he went to Ground Zero the day after the 9/11 attacks with construction workers and they 'worked long and hard'. - Trump also claimed he witnessed the second plane crash into the Twin Towers. - First responders and individuals at Ground Zero have stated they did not see Trump there. - Previous fact-checking has found insufficient evidence to substantiate Trump's claims about the size of the workforce he brought to Ground Zero. Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed he was present at Ground Zero in the days following the 11 September 2001 attacks and participated in recovery efforts. In a recent interview with Fox News host Trey Gowdy, Trump stated he went to the site the day after the attacks with construction workers from a building project he was undertaking in New York. He told Gowdy that they 'worked long and hard' at the site. Trump also recounted witnessing the second plane strike the Twin Towers, stating, 'I watched that happen. And I said, ‘wow, we are now in a different time.’' He told Gowdy that he had construction workers with him 'very, very quickly afterwards' the day after the attacks, as the day of the attack itself was too soon to access the site. ## Disputed presence at Ground Zero First responders and individuals who were at Ground Zero in the immediate aftermath of the attacks have stated they did not see Donald Trump there. Richard Alles, a former deputy chief with the New York Fire Department who was at the site for months, told The New York Times he 'never witnessed' Trump there. He added, 'I have no knowledge of his being down there.' While acknowledging the possibility that Trump could have been there alone and unobserved, Alles stated, 'I know of no one who ever witnessed him there.' ## What the coverage left out None of the left-rated reports below mention the claim by Donald Trump that one of his properties, 40 Wall Street, is now the tallest building in lower Manhattan. The Independent's full report includes this claim, stating Trump said, '40 Wall Street actually was the second-tallest building in downtown Manhattan... And now it's the tallest.' ## Who covered it Shares of the 6 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 100% (6) - Centre: 0% (0) - Right: 0% (0) 1 of 7 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-09-07T20:37:55.200Z. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 3 times; 1 check found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-09-07T22:00:57.667Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left - The left-rated reports focused on Donald Trump's claims about his actions at Ground Zero after the 9/11 attacks and the subsequent challenges to those accounts. The Independent, in its full report, detailed Trump's repeated assertions of being at the site and working with first responders, noting that 'first responders, who say they never saw him on the ground.' The report quoted Trump telling Fox News's Trey Gowdy that he 'went down' to Ground Zero the day after the attacks with construction workers and that they 'worked long and hard.' The Independent also highlighted Trump's past claims, including stating he witnessed the second plane crash and that his property at 40 Wall Street is now the tallest building in lower Manhattan, which it described as a 'dubious claim.' IBTimes UK also focused on Trump's 'worked long and hard' comment, noting that his claims have been disputed and that previous fact-checking found 'insufficient evidence to substantiate some of his claims about the size of the workforce he says he brought to Ground Zero.' Raw Story's digest stated Trump was 'brutally fact-checked over tale of 9/11 heroism,' quoting a commentator calling the story 'Give me a break.' The Daily Boulder's digest highlighted that 'First responders say they never saw him there,' directly contrasting Trump's claims with the accounts of those present at the site. vt.co's digest reported Trump was 'accused of ‘lying’ over bizarre 9/11 claims.' Mediaite's digest used Trump's quote 'We Worked Long And Hard' as its headline. ### Centre No separate framing summary. ### Right No separate framing summary. **Provisional coverage gap:** right. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - mixed: 3 - high: 2 - unknown: 1 - veryHigh: 1 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [Raw Story](https://rawstory.com/trump-911-2677827896) — Trump brutally fact-checked over tale of 9/11 heroism: 'Give me a break' - [The Daily Boulder](https://dailyboulder.com/trump-claims-he-worked-long-and-hard-at-ground-zero-after-9-11-first-responders-say-they-never-saw-him-there) — Trump claims he ‘worked long and hard’ at Ground Zero after 9/11. First responders say they never saw him there - [vt.co](https://vt.co/news/us/donald-trump-9-11-claims-old-comments-resurface) — President Trump accused of ‘lying’ over bizarre 9/11 claims as old comments resurface - [The Independent](https://independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-911-world-trade-center-claims-b3046037.html) — Trump says ‘we worked long and hard’ one day after 9/11 in latest dubious claim - [The Independent (US)](https://the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-911-world-trade-center-claims-b3046037.html) — Trump says ‘we worked long and hard’ one day after 9/11 in latest dubious claim - [IBTimes UK](https://ibtimes.co.uk/donald-trump-claims-he-worked-long-hard-construction-workers-ground-zero-after-9-11-1818261) — Donald Trump Claims He 'Worked Long and Hard' With Construction Workers at Ground Zero After 9/11 - [Mediaite](https://mediaite.com/media/news/we-worked-long-and-hard-trump-tells-fox-news-he-went-down-to-ground-zero-the-day-after-9-11) — ‘We Worked Long And Hard’: Trump Tells Fox News He ‘Went Down’ To Ground Zero The Day After 9/11 ## Questions **What did Donald Trump claim he did at Ground Zero after 9/11?** Donald Trump claimed he went to Ground Zero the day after the 9/11 attacks with construction workers from a project he was managing in New York. He stated that he and the workers 'worked long and hard' at the site. **Did first responders see Donald Trump at Ground Zero?** First responders and individuals present at Ground Zero in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks have stated they did not see Donald Trump there. Richard Alles, a former deputy chief with the New York Fire Department, told The New York Times he 'never witnessed' Trump at the site. **What other claims has Trump made about 9/11?** In addition to his claims about working at Ground Zero, Donald Trump has stated he witnessed the second plane crash into the Twin Towers. He has also claimed that his property at 40 Wall Street is now the tallest building in lower Manhattan. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/politics/trumps-911-claims-about-ground-zero-work-face-scrutiny. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "Trump's 9/11 claims about Ground Zero work face scrutiny", https://mediabias.news/politics/trumps-911-claims-about-ground-zero-work-face-scrutiny