Cruz Defends Trump’s Controversial 9/11 Account
Sandra Rhodes · Sep 9, 2026 · 2 min read
President Donald Trump has at least one supporter in his recounting of what happened to him on Sept. 11, 2001.
Trump said during Tuesday’s Tunnel to Towers event on the Ellipse that two firefighters attempted to carry him away from a building they feared would collapse near One Liberty Plaza in the days after the attacks.
While many are doubting the president’s account, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) defended Trump, saying the event was a “traumatic experience” for everyone and that he trusted the president’s retelling.
Cruz appeared on CNN’s “The Source” Tuesday night with host Kaitlan Collins.
After his speech, Trump doubled down as he later wrote on Truth Social he was at the World Trade Center site after the terror strike with construction workers. He insisted his account was “accurate.”
Collins questioned Cruz about Trump’s memory.
“I mean, he’s kind of making it sound like he was pulled out of the rubble, though, with the firefighters,” Collins said. “Do you think that’s appropriate?”
“September 11th was 25 years ago, it was a horrific moment for our entire country, and you could doubt whatever you want about Donald Trump, but the man is a New Yorker, he loves New York, and I have every doubt that what he’s conveying there is what he experienced,” Cruz said. “And that was a traumatic experience for all of us.”