Trump's 9/11 "Tallest Building" Claim Resurfaces, Fact-Checked as False

Former President Donald Trump's assertion that his 40 Wall Street property became the tallest building in downtown Manhattan following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks has been widely recirculated and fact-checked as inaccurate. On the day of the attacks, Trump, then a real estate mogul, called into New Jersey's WWOR-TV/UPN 9 News to discuss the unfolding tragedy, where he made the controversial statement.

During the interview, Trump was asked about his building's condition, to which he responded, "40 Wall Street actually was the second-tallest building in downtown Manhattan, and it was actually, before the World Trade Center, was the tallest — and then, when they built the World Trade Center, it became known as the second tallest. And now it's the tallest." This claim has been a recurring point of contention and criticism regarding his public statements about 9/11.

However, records from the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat and other sources confirm that 40 Wall Street was not the tallest building in lower Manhattan on September 11, 2001. At the time, 70 Pine Street, located nearby, stood 25 feet taller than Trump's property. While 40 Wall Street had a brief period as the tallest building in downtown Manhattan in the 1930s, this was decades before Trump owned it and prior to the construction of the World Trade Center.

The remarks, made just hours after the collapse of the Twin Towers, have often drawn criticism for their perceived insensitivity and self-aggrandizing nature during a national tragedy. Many observers, including a WWOR reporter present during the interview, have described feeling "stunned" by the comments. This incident is frequently cited alongside other disputed claims by Trump regarding his involvement and observations during the 9/11 aftermath.