Gavin Newsom blasted Donald Trump over a disputed account of where he was during the 9/11 attacks. The California governor’s office called the president’s latest version “absolutely disgusting” as the 25th anniversary approaches.
Trump revived the story while honoring 9/11 emergency responders in Washington. His account placed him near Ground Zero, but comments he made on September 11, 2001, offered a different account of where he was that morning.
Gavin Newsom calls Donald Trump’s 9/11 claim ‘absolutely disgusting’
TMZ reported that Trump claimed he was at the U.S. Steel Building, roughly a quarter-mile from Ground Zero. He said two firefighters grabbed him and carried him away when the building appeared ready to collapse. Newsom’s press office responded on X with a blunt assessment: “An absolutely disgusting thing to lie about.”
The criticism centered on Trump’s whereabouts that morning. He had called WWOR-TV from Trump Tower during the attacks. That building stood roughly four miles north of the World Trade Center. During that interview, Trump said, “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.”
That earlier account appears difficult to square with his latest story. Trump described watching the destruction from his Midtown building before later discussing the devastation downtown. Trump did visit the Ground Zero area in the days following the attacks. However, his claims about his involvement in recovery efforts have remained disputed. He has repeatedly said he sent hundreds of workers to assist at the site, but fact-checkers have found no evidence corroborating that claim.
The latest controversy emerged during an event marking the approaching 25th anniversary. Trump honored first responders and posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Welles Crowther, known as the “Man in the Red Bandana.”
PolitiFact’s fact-check of Trump’s 9/11 claims also examined Trump’s account and found no evidence supporting his claim that firefighters carried him away from the site. The fact-check noted that there are accounts of concerns about the nearby One Liberty Plaza, formerly known as the U.S. Steel Building, potentially collapsing, but none specifically place Trump there at the time.
