Donald Trump's Nephew Says His 9/11 Workers Story 'So Offends Me That I Need to Speak Out'

Donald Trump's nephew has publicly challenged his uncle's account of bringing workers to Lower Manhattan after the September 11 attacks, saying the claim 'so offends me that I need to speak out' days before the tragedy's 25th anniversary.

Fred Trump III responded after the president recalled his experience following the attacks during a 9/11 commemorative event in Washington on Tuesday.

Trump said he took a crew to Lower Manhattan shortly after the attacks and recalled two firefighters carrying him away because they feared the nearby US Steel Building, now One Liberty Plaza, could collapse.

Fred Trump III Disputes Account

Fred said he usually avoids commenting personally about his uncle but felt compelled to challenge the account.

'He was not building a "big building" at the time,' Fred wrote on X.

He said the only employees his uncle could have brought from Trump Tower would have been secretarial and accounting staff, adding that he knew many of them and doubted they were physically equipped for recovery work.

Fred's comments reflect his recollection and do not, on their own, establish who accompanied Trump after the attacks.

Crew's Presence Remains Unverified

Trump's presence in Lower Manhattan after 9/11 is not itself in dispute.

He gave interviews in the area on 13 September 2001, two days after the attacks, and said at the time that he had workers helping with recovery efforts.

What remains unverified is the scale and nature of that assistance. No publicly available evidence has independently established that Trump brought the large construction crew he has described.

Trump reiterated his account this week, saying he was there 'shortly thereafter' with construction workers.

The distinction is significant: there is evidence that Trump visited Lower Manhattan, but that alone does not verify his claims about the workers who accompanied him or the recovery work they performed.

One Liberty Plaza Did Face Collapse Fears

Fred also challenged Trump's account involving One Liberty Plaza.

Trump recalled the building 'creaking' and said two firefighters physically carried him away because they feared it would fall.

There were genuine concerns about the building's stability after the World Trade Center towers collapsed.

However, a federal engineering study found that structural engineers inspected One Liberty Plaza on 12 September and observed no apparent movement. The building was determined to be safe apart from hazards caused by broken glass.

Rumours that it could collapse persisted into 13 September, prompting continued monitoring and inspections.

The engineering record supports the existence of real concern about the building, but does not establish Trump's separate claim that firefighters carried him away from danger. That account has not been independently corroborated.

Family Dispute Comes Before 9/11 Anniversary

Fred said he deliberately spoke before Friday's anniversary because he did not want the dispute to detract from the day's 'solemn memories'.

Trump's Tuesday appearance was part of commemorations marking 25 years since the attacks. The White House said it honoured first responders and victims, including posthumously awarding the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Welles Crowther.

Fred's intervention does not establish every detail of what happened in the days after 9/11. Instead, it directly challenges parts of his uncle's account while leaving a clear distinction between what historical records confirm and what remains based on personal recollection.