EXCLUSIVE: Donald Trump's 9/11 'Lies' Branded 'Sick' By Andrew Windsor's BBC Interviewer
BBC interviewer has branded Donald Trump's 9/11 claims 'sick' in a scathing rebuke.
Sept. 11 2026, Published 11:36 a.m. ET
Donald Trump's widely mocked account of being carried to safety by firefighters near Ground Zero after 9/11 has been branded "so f------ sick" by Emily Maitlis, the BBC journalist whose 2019 interview helped precipitate Andrew Windsor’s withdrawal from royal duties.
As RadarOnline.com has reported, the US president, 80, made the claim on Tuesday, September 8, at a Tunnel to Towers Foundation memorial event on the Ellipse in Washington, days before the 25th anniversary of the September 11 terror outrage.
Emily Maitlis branded Donald Trump's unverified 9/11 firefighters story as sick on her podcast.
Emily Maitlis Rips Trump Over Wild 9/11 Claim
Emily Maitlis criticized President Trump’s account of the 9/11 attacks.
Trump said two firefighters lifted him under the arms and ran with him because the US Steel Building, now One Liberty Plaza, appeared to be in danger of collapsing.
No public evidence has emerged corroborating the episode.
Maitlis, 56, has now added her voice to the flood of outraged online users condemning the account.
She argued on her The News Agents podcast Trump had inserted himself into a commemoration for the nearly 3,000 people killed in the attacks.
Maitlis hit out: "That would be funny if it wasn't actually so f------ sick."
She added: "This is at a memorial speech, and it was to honour those who died on September 11th.
"Of course Trump turns up and makes the whole thing about him, not just him, but a complete fabrication of where he actually was when the Twin Towers came down."
Inside Trump's Disputed Ground Zero Story
Donald Trump claimed firefighters lifted him under the arms and ran with him near Ground Zero.
Trump told the Washington gathering he had taken construction workers to Lower Manhattan shortly after the attacks and recalled fears that the US Steel Building, immediately east of the World Trade Center complex, might fall.
He said: "And I'll never forget the two firemen. 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."
Trump continued: "They said, 'Got to get out of here.' 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, 'Fellows, I can run myself,' but they were amazing."
Fact-checkers have said there is no evidence supporting Trump’s claim firefighters carried him from the building, or his longstanding assertions about taking a construction crew to assist recovery work at Ground Zero.
Trump also gave a TV interview amid the 9/11 attacks saying he could see it from a window, but observers have said it would have been impossible for him to view the inferno from Trump Tower.
The president has previously described visiting Lower Manhattan after the attacks, and contemporary footage places him there on September 13.
Fact-Checking The President's 9/11 Window Claim
Donald Trump claimed in a phone interview that he watched the destruction from his office window.
His comments have also drawn renewed attention to what he said on September 11, 2001.
In a telephone interview with New York station WWOR-TV that day, Trump described watching the destruction from his office.
He said: "I have a window that looks directly at the World Trade Center. I saw this huge explosion. I was with a group of people. I really couldn't even believe it."
During the same interview, Trump discussed 40 Wall Street, saying it had become the tallest building in downtown Manhattan after the towers fell – a claim which is inaccurate.
Maitlis added: "We can verify that Trump definitely was watching television on the morning of the attacks."
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Emily Maitlis interviewed former Prince Andrew at Buckingham Palace in November 2019.
The British journalist became known for her Newsnight interview with the former Prince Andrew, 66, at Buckingham Palace in November 2019, when she questioned him about his friendship with convicted predator Jeffrey Epstein and allegations surrounding their long-standing relationship.
The broadcast triggered a huge backlash against the now ex-Duke of York. Days later, Andrew announced he was stepping back from public duties, and has since been stripped of his royal titles by King Charles.
Online users have been brutal in their assessment of Trump's fire crew claim, with many branding him "full of s---" and "lies" on platforms including X.
