Trump recounts moment after 9/11: Firefighters pulled us away from the building we thought would collapse

Donald Trump has offered another account of the 9/11 attacks, claiming that two firefighters forcibly pulled him away from a building that, he said, was at risk of collapsing. The American president’s statement immediately raised questions, as he has often been criticized for exaggerating personal stories.

Born in New York, Trump was in Manhattan when the Twin Towers collapsed after being hit by two planes hijacked by al-Qaeda jihadists. This year, the Republican president will not take part in the traditional ceremony at the site where the World Trade Center towers once stood. All of his predecessors are expected to attend the ceremony: George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama and Joe Biden. Trump will deliver a speech at the Pentagon, another site hit 25 years ago.

During a ceremony near the White House organized to commemorate the attacks, Trump said that the United States must continue to honor the memory of the victims.

“We gather here to reaffirm the sacred promise made a quarter-century ago: we will never forget,” he said.

However, instead of focusing solely on honoring the nearly 3,000 people who lost their lives, the president turned to a story in which he portrayed himself as having been part of the events.

“I was building a big building in New York and I took the entire team there as soon as it happened,” Trump said.

He said he had been near the United States Steel Building skyscraper, which, according to him, “was shaking, and we thought it was going to fall on us.”

According to the president’s account, two firefighters, “big, strong guys,” grabbed him by the arm and told him to leave.

“They lifted me up and started running,” Trump recounted, adding that the building did not collapse.

In Tuesday’s speech, the president also mentioned Wells Crowther, one of the heroes of 9/11. Crowther worked in one of the Twin Towers and helped save many people during the evacuation operations.

The young man, who became known as the “man in the red bandana” because of the bandana he wore over his mouth, was killed that day.

“The man in the red bandana. He became more famous than me. I don’t like that. I don’t like it at all,” Trump said with a laugh.