Donald Trump on September 11 Attacks

Public disputes concerning the September 11, 2001 attacks, their aftermath, memorials, official records, and effects on survivors and responders.

How we classify topics

Counts show individual statements. They do not assign an overall position.

Statement history

2 statements on this page. Dates: September 13, 2026 to September 18, 2026

2 matching statements. Dates: September 13, 2026 to September 18, 2026

2 published statements. Dates: September 13, 2026 to September 18, 2026

Condemned

2 published statements. Dates: September 13, 2026 to September 18, 2026

2 statements on this page. Dates: September 13, 2026 to September 18, 2026

Donald Trump

Role at the time: President of the United States, answering a reporter’s question in the Oval Office

September 18, 2026Condemned

Statement summary

Asked in the Oval Office about the condemnations of Piker by leading Democrats and whether he considered Piker a liability to the party, Trump said he did, called him a communist, and said Piker’s statements were “so bad” that he could not understand Jewish voters supporting Democrats.

“I do. I think he’s a terrible liability. I think he’s got a power over some of these Democrats and he will vote that way. He’s a communist. There’s no question about it.”

Watch the original videoOval Office remarks: Trump asked about Hasan Piker (Fox News broadcast capture)Approx. 1:11–1:12 into the recording; closed-caption text of the Oval Office pool exchange.

Broadcast capture carrying the full Oval Office exchange, including the reporter’s question, which the widely circulated clips omit. The question is premised on the condemnations of Piker by leading Democrats during the week of the Axios Show interview; several of those condemnations — Fetterman, Dingell, Torres, Gottheimer and El-Sayed — are recorded separately in this case. The hour immediately preceding this broadcast on the same network was given over to the Axios interview, including Piker’s al-Qaeda, Iran and China answers. Quotation is from closed-caption text, which is transmitted in lower case and lightly imperfect; capitalisation has been normalised and nothing else altered.

Why we used this label

On Piker’s claims in the Axios Show interview, Trump condemns him, and does so in answer to a question expressly premised on the condemnations those claims produced. He goes on to say “his statements are so bad” before drawing a conclusion about Jewish voters, which is an evaluation of the statements rather than only of the speaker. The limitation should be read with it: Trump does not address the al-Qaeda comparison, the Iran answer or the China remarks by name, and the bulk of his reply concerns Piker’s influence within the Democratic Party rather than the truth of anything he said. It is recorded as a condemnation of the speaker and his statements in this dispute, not as a response to any particular claim.

Read statement Hasan Piker's Axios Show interview claims about terrorism, Iran, China and Israel

Donald Trump

Role at the time: President of the United States

September 13, 2026Condemned

Statement summary

President Trump called it "terrible" that Mamdani and AOC were seen laughing together during part of the September 11 memorial ceremony, calling it inappropriate.

“I think it's terrible. It's not a place to be laughing... the fact that they were laughing together at a very important part of the ceremony was inappropriate.”

Open sourceTrump condemns Mamdani-AOC "laughing" moment as "terrible"

Report on Trump's remarks to reporters departing Shannon Airport, Ireland, condemning Mamdani and AOC for laughing during the September 11 memorial.

Why we used this label

Trump directly condemns the laughing moment between Mamdani and AOC at the memorial as inappropriate, a direct criticism relevant to the case's scrutiny of Mamdani's conduct at the memorial.

Read statement Should Zohran Mamdani attend New York City’s 9/11 memorial?