Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz defended President Donald Trump's claim that he was saved by firefighters from a collapsing building on 9/11, despite there being no evidence of the incident occurring. Cruz stated that he believes Trump's account is true because "the man is a New Yorker" and it's unlikely that Trump would fabricate such an experience. The defense drew widespread criticism from various individuals, including leftist Twitch streamer Hasan Piker and chess champion Garry Kasparov, who called out Cruz for his loyalty to Trump. Trump himself responded with a lengthy post on Truth Social, attacking a journalist for questioning his record on 9/11.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-10,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
President Donald Trump claimed that he was pulled from the scene by firefighters near the World Trade Center on 9/11, but multiple news outlets have disputed his account, pointing out that there is no evidence to support it. In a speech at the Ellipse outside the White House, Trump said two firemen lifted him up and carried him to safety because they thought the United States Steel Building was going to collapse. However, Trump's own account has changed over time, with him initially saying he watched an explosion from his Trump Tower window more than four miles away and later claiming he was not at the World Trade Center "on the same day as the collapse, but shortly thereafter". CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins asked Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz about Trump's claims, and Cruz defended him, saying September 11 was 25 years ago, implying that it's too long to remember details. Other critics have pointed out that Trump has a history of exaggerating or inventing stories about his experiences on 9/11, including falsely claiming thousands of Muslims cheered the destruction of the Twin Towers in Jersey City.
Written for “Trump's 9/11 Claims Debunked” on 2026-09-10,
grounded in this article and the 3 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The article's own words the score was based on. Each is quoted
verbatim and was checked against the article text before being
stored, so you can find it in the original.
Leaning score +0.35 for article 7564 (high confidence, 1 verified quote) · logged 2026-09-10
Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz has come to the defense of President Donald Trump after he was accused of inventing a story about being hauled away from an unsafe structure by firefighters in the wake of 9/11.
asserted
he → come → 9/11
The president delivered a speech on the Ellipse in Washington, D.C., Tuesday in which he recounted an anecdote about witnessing the United States Steel Building in Manhattan “creaking” days after the infamous terror attack on the World Trade Center, the 25th anniversary of which will be observed Friday.
asserted
anniversary → deliver → which
Trump said he was ushered to safety by “two firemen, big, strong guys,” who “grabbed me under the arm, said, ‘Got to get out of here!’”
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who → say → arm
“They literally lifted me up,” he continued.
asserted
he → lift → me
“This is not easy to do.
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This → do → ?
I’m big.
asserted
I → ’m → ?
They lifted me up and they started running with me.
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they → lift → me
I said, ‘Fellas, I can run myself,’ but they
asserted
I → say → myself
But they thought it was coming down.
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it → think → ?
It didn’t come down.”
asserted
It → come → ?
The president has told versions of the same story at least twice before – in 2016 and 2021 – despite there being no evidence of it having really happened, prompting CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins to ask Cruz about it on The Source Wednesday.
asserted
it → tell → Source
“September 11 was 25 years ago,” the senator responded.
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senator → respond → ?
“And you can doubt whatever you want about Donald Trump but the man is a New Yorker, he loves New York, and I have every [sic] doubt that what he’s conveying there is what he experienced and it was a traumatic experience for all of us.
asserted
it → doubt → us
Among those scorning Cruz’s defense was leftist Twitch streamer Hasan Piker, who tweeted: “ted cruz once famously was caught watching porn on this website on 9/11 so i’m not surprised this is his defense for trump.”
Piker was alluding to the senator’s official account notoriously liking a two-minute clip from an adult film that was posted on Twitter by “SexuallPosts” on September 11, 2017, a blunder subsequently blamed on an unnamed staffer.
“If you tell the truth you don’t have to remember anything,” observed chess champion Garry Kasparov.
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Kasparov → scorn → anything
“There is a genuine competition for which Republican has most debased himself in service to Trump,” said The Bulwark’s founder Sarah Longwell.
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founder → be → Trump
“But I think it’s Ted Cruz with a bullet.”
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it → think → bullet
Others derided the senator as a “bootlicker,” a “coward,” a “suck-up” and a “disgrace” for again standing up for a man who publicly insulted his wife when they were rivals for the GOP presidential nomination in 2016.
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they → deride → 2016
The president angrily defended his remarks in a lengthy Truth Social post late Tuesday, attacking New York Magazine and New York Times correspondent Maggie Haberman for questioning his record on 9/11 and his decision not to return to the Big Apple for the anniversary commemorations.
asserted
president → defend → commemorations
Rather than join his four presidential predecessors – Bill Clinton, George W Bush, Barack Obama and Joe Biden – to pay his respects at Ground Zero, Trump will be at the Pentagon in D.C. instead.
asserted
Trump → join → D.C.
