Trump’s Nephew Publicly Challenges His Claims About His 9/11 Activities
President Donald Trump’s nephew, Fred Trump III, is publicly challenging his uncle’s account of what he did in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, saying he felt compelled to speak out ahead of the 25th anniversary.
Fred Trump III said he generally tries not to comment publicly about his uncle, but that Trump’s repeated claim that he brought a crew of workers to Ground Zero “so offends me that I need to speak out.”
Trump has said that he brought workers from a construction project to Ground Zero to assist with recovery efforts after the attacks. Fred disputed that account, writing that the only employees he believed Trump could have brought from Trump Tower would have been secretarial and accounting staff. He said he knew many of those employees and did not believe they were physically equipped to perform the type of recovery work Trump has described.
Fred also challenged Trump’s recent account of being carried to safety by two firefighters after concerns that the U.S. Steel Building could collapse. He cited engineering connections who, according to his account, considered the building structurally sound and said it was ultimately cleared for occupancy.
Trump has continued to maintain his account, while the White House has defended his recollections. Available reporting has not established independent evidence supporting all of the details Trump has described.
The public disagreement is particularly notable because it comes from within Trump’s own family, just days before the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks.
