California Governor Gavin Newsom accused President Donald Trump of lying on September 10, following an anecdote the President shared regarding his experiences near the site of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, The Hill reported. The controversy began after the President spoke at a White House event honoring first responders. During his remarks, the President described being at One Liberty Plaza, which was formerly known as the U.S. Steel Building, when it began to creak. He claimed that two firefighters grabbed his arms and provided assistance during the chaos. The President said two firefighters grabbed his arms and “they literally lifted me up.” He continued his story by adding, “They lifted me up and they started running with me,” and “I said, ‘Fellas, I can run myself.’ But they were amazing. But they thought it was coming down. It didn’t come down.” Trump’s claims regarding 9/11 have been a point of contention for years Newsom took to X to share a post by journalist Aaron Rupar, which suggested the President described being carried away from the rubble. The California Democrat wrote, “An absolutely disgusting thing to lie about.” Trump claims he was basically lifted out of the rubble on 9/11: "Two fireman, big strong guys, they grabbed me under the arms — 'got to get our of here!' — and they literally lifted me up, and they started running with me." pic.twitter.com/63k48q7o4d— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 8, 2026 While some outlets, including New York Magazine, labeled the speech a “weird lie,” the President defended his remarks on Truth Social. He clarified that he was obviously not present on September 11, when the World Trade Center towers collapsed, but noted he was there shortly after with a large group of construction workers. It is worth noting that the President, who was a businessman located inside Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue during the attacks, famously called into WWOR-TV as the events unfolded. During that call, he remarked that his building had become the tallest in lower Manhattan following the collapse of the towers. Despite his claims of assisting at the site, the earliest available footage of the President near the area dates to September 13, 2001. During that day, he participated in two interviews and stated that his company had over 100 workers helping with recovery efforts. The validity of these claims has been a point of contention for years. In 2019, former New York Fire Department battalion chief Richard Alles spoke to PolitiFact regarding the presence of the President and his workers at Ground Zero. Alles stated that there would typically be a record of such a large group of people working at the site. He told the fact-checker, “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.” Conversely, former New York Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik offered a different perspective in 2019. He told Breitbart News that the President visited the area numerous times to motivate and inspire the men and women who were working on the pile. Looking ahead, the President is scheduled to deliver a speech at the Pentagon to mark the 25th anniversary of the attacks. While the Pentagon was one of the targets hit that day, the President will not be attending the commemoration in New York City. The ceremony in New York City is expected to host four surviving former presidents as well as Vice President Vance.