Trump Slammed for Whining About 9/11 Hero 'The Man in the Red Bandana' Being 'More Famous' Than Him: 'An Embarrassment to Our Country'
Donald Trump said he 'didn't like' that a 9/11 hero was more famous than he is.
Sept. 10 2026, Published 6:28 p.m. ET
Donald Trump has been slammed online for pointing out that a hero of the 9/11 terrorist attacks is "more famous" than he is, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The president's remarks came as he spoke at a somber ceremony honoring those who gave their lives on Sept. 11.
President Trump Honors a Fallen Hero
Trump was posthumously awarding the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Welles Crowther.
Trump posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Welles Crowther on Tuesday, September 8.
The 24-year-old equities trader and volunteer firefighter sifted through the damaged South Tower with a red bandana his father had given him as a child covering his mouth, assisting people who could not escape on their own.
Crowther became known as the "man in the red bandana" after saving at least 18 lives in the South Tower of the World Trade Center before it collapsed – with Crowther still inside.
The president started his tribute by sharing Crowther's story.
"Today we also remember another hero of 9/11," Trump told the crowd. "After the plane hit the South Tower, a group of people on the 78th floor were trapped with broken bones, charred skin and eyes, and lungs filled with black smoke, death was all about them. It was certain."
"They were sure they were going to die. Then suddenly, a rescuer appeared. They call him 'the man in the red bandana,'" he noted.
That's where the president paused, looked up from his scripted remarks, and quipped, "Have you heard that term? He's become more famous than me. I don’t like it. Very unhappy, but he’s become much more famous than me."
'That Day Was Not a Competition'
Welles Crowther used his red bandana to cover his mouth as he rescued 18 people.
After forcing out a brief chuckle, Trump turned back to his prepared speech. However, critics of the president seemingly weren't laughing.
"What an embarrassment to our country & THE REPUBLICAN party who don't seem to care that HE REPRESENTS THEM," one person raged on X. "All because many of them are mentioned in the EPSTEIN FILES? Can't do the time, don’t do the crime! The truth will set you free, but they’ve all forgotten what truth is."
A second person remarked, "What a sick man. That day was not a 'Competition' to become famous," as a third asked, "Can he talk about anything without making it about himself?"
Another person claimed, "Unhappy that someone sacrificed their life to save others? What a piece of s--t. He was a hero, you a--hole!"
President Trump Claimed He Rushed to Help
Trump also claimed he jumped into action himself after the terrorist attacks.
But those weren't Trump's only controversial comments at the ceremony. Elsewhere in the same speech, the president brazenly claimed to have rushed to the scene after the attacks to help, only to be carried away by firefighters amid fears that the neighboring United States Steel building was on the verge of collapse.
"I'll never forget two firemen," the president reminisced. "We thought it was coming down on top of us, and two firemen — big, strong guys — and I’m not the smallest guy in the world — they grabbed me under the arms, said, 'Gotta get out of here.'"
He continued, "And they literally lifted me up. This is not easy to do. I’m big. They lifted me up and they started running with me. I said, 'Fellas, I can run myself.' But they were amazing, but they thought it was coming down; it didn’t come down."
Never Miss an
Daily updates from the heart of Hollywood, right to your inbox
By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you’re agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
Fact Checking the President's Remarks
However, it appears he was miles away from Ground Zero that day.
It's a powerful story – but the only problem is, Trump was reportedly nowhere near the Twin Towers that fateful day. Instead, he was reportedly at his Trump Tower in Midtown Manhattan, several miles away from Ground Zero.
A former Trump Organization executive told Politico in 2016 that Trump did not do much out of the ordinary that day.
However, in a 2016 version of the story, Trump claimed the moment the firemen helped him happened "a couple of days" after the attack.
Asked for evidence of Trump's tall tale, the White House told CNN: "He was a private citizen at the time, not everything he did was documented."
Later in the day, spokesperson Davis Ingle sidestepped the timeline questions and used the moment to attack the media.
"President Trump spent the morning paying tribute to the heroic first responders who laid down their lives in service to others in the September 11th attacks and honoring their incredible families," Ingle said. "The President was relaying his experience of a city reeling immediately after and in the days and weeks after the horrific attacks — and the fact that the failing legacy media is using this to try to attack him is a disgrace and yet another reason why Americans trust in the media is at an all-time low."
