As the 25th anniversary of 9/11 approaches, Trump has once again told the story of being carried away by firefighters near Ground Zero, a claim he's made before in different versions.
Only days before the 25th anniversary of the devastating September 11 attacks, President Donald Trump decided to revisit a familiar story with new details added about his whereabouts around the date.
Trump said two firefighters had picked him up two days after 9/11 off the ground near what was then known as the US Steel Building, close to Ground Zero, and rushed him away because they feared the building was about to collapse.
“I'll never forget 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,” he said.
They grabbed me under the arm, said, ‘Got to get out of here.’ 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.”
Even Trump’s own timeline shifts
This isn’t the first time Trump has told this story. He shared a version of it back in January 2016, during a campaign stop in New Hampshire.
On Tuesday, he said the incident happened “right after” the attacks, without giving an exact date.
Later, on Truth Social, Trump clarified that he wasn’t at the World Trade Center “on the same day as the collapse, but shortly thereafter,” seemingly backtracking any suggestion he’d been there on 9/11 itself.
No evidence supporting the claims has ever surfaced
Despite retelling the story multiple times over nearly a decade, Trump has never named the two firefighters involved, and no photograph, video, emergency record, or firsthand account from a first responder has ever surfaced to confirm it happened.
CNN’s fact-check found no public evidence Trump was inside the building he described, now called One Liberty Plaza, in the days following the attacks. The outlet did note that two days after 9/11, he was interviewed outdoors in the vicinity of Ground Zero. This far from confirms the specific rescue he described, however.
PBS spoke with a former official who oversaw emergency response coordination at the site.
“There would be a record of it,” he said, pointing out that everyone working at Ground Zero operated under the direct supervision of police, fire, and emergency services commanders.
“Is there a chance he was ever down there by himself and I didn’t know it? It’s possible, but I know of no one who ever witnessed him there.”
A long pattern of unverified 9/11 claims
This is far from the only story Trump has told about his actions around 9/11 that hasn’t held up to scrutiny.
He’s previously claimed to have personally helped with recovery efforts and sent a large construction crew to assist, claims that also remain unconfirmed.
On the day of the attacks themselves, Trump was recorded boasting in a TV interview that his own building, 40 Wall Street, had become the tallest in downtown Manhattan following the towers’ collapse.
Is It True That Not Every State Requires Schools to Teach Students About 9/11?
Answer: Right. The statement “Not every state requires schools to teach students about 9/11” is correct. In the United States, there is no nationwide requirement that every public school teach the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks as a specific subject. Education is largely governed at the state and local levels, and states differ considerably in how their social studies standards address 9/11. Some states explicitly include the attacks in their standards, while others refer more generally to terrorism, U.S. foreign policy, or recent history without specifically naming September 11. Some leave more curricular decisions to local school districts and teachers.
This distinction is important because saying that 9/11 is “taught in American schools” is not the same thing as saying that every state legally requires every student to study it.
Why the Statement Is Correct
The United States does not have one national school curriculum that dictates every historical event that students must study. Instead, education policy is largely handled by individual states, school districts, and schools.
As a result, there is significant variation in curriculum requirements across the country.
Education Week reported in 2026 that many states still do not explicitly include the September 11 attacks in their social studies standards. The publication also noted that in 2025 members of Congress proposed a bipartisan resolution encouraging schools in all states to teach about the attacks. The fact that lawmakers were urging all states to include 9/11 demonstrates that a universal nationwide requirement does not currently exist.
This does not mean that students in states without a specific 9/11 requirement necessarily never learn about the attacks. A teacher may choose to include the subject in a history, government, civics, or current-events course. A school district may also decide to include it in its curriculum.
The key point is that a topic can be widely taught without being specifically required by every state.
What Happened on September 11, 2001?
To understand why the issue matters, it is useful to remember the historical significance of September 11.
On September 11, 2001, members of the terrorist organization al-Qaeda hijacked four commercial airplanes. Two planes were flown into the World Trade Center towers in New York City. A third struck the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. The fourth crashed in Pennsylvania after passengers and crew members attempted to regain control of the aircraft.
Nearly 3,000 people were killed in the attacks.
The attacks had enormous consequences for the United States and the world. They influenced American foreign policy, national security, airport security, immigration debates, military operations, civil liberties discussions, and international relations.
The United States subsequently launched military operations in Afghanistan against the Taliban and al-Qaeda. The attacks also influenced the broader “War on Terror” and U.S. policies for many years afterward.
Because of these consequences, many educators and historians consider 9/11 an essential part of contemporary American history.
The 9/11 Memorial & Museum provides educational resources designed to help students understand both the events themselves and their wider consequences. Its lesson plans cover topics including the attacks, their historical context, first responders, national security, civil liberties, and the long-term effects of 9/11.
Some States Explicitly Mention 9/11
Although not every state requires specific instruction about September 11, some states have explicitly included it in their social studies standards.
Historical research into state standards has shown examples of states that directly reference the attacks.
For example, earlier standards in Oklahoma specifically required students to examine terrorism and included the September 11 attacks alongside other major terrorist events. Texas standards also addressed terrorism and the U.S. response following September 11. Other states incorporated the attacks into standards concerning foreign policy, terrorism, or modern American history.
This illustrates an important point: states do not necessarily teach 9/11 in exactly the same way.
One state may require students to understand the events of September 11 themselves.
Another may place the attacks within a broader unit on terrorism.
Another may focus on the U.S. response, including Afghanistan, national security, and civil liberties.
Therefore, even when 9/11 is included in a state's curriculum, the depth and approach can vary.
The Difference Between a State Standard and a Legal Requirement
There is another important distinction that often causes confusion.
When people say that a state “requires” schools to teach something, they may be referring to a state academic standard.
A state standard establishes what students are expected to learn. However, the exact implementation can vary between districts, schools, courses, and teachers.
Therefore, saying that a state “mentions 9/11 in its standards” is not always identical to saying that every student must receive a dedicated lesson on September 11 every year.
This is why claims about education requirements need to be phrased carefully.
For example:
“State X includes 9/11 in its social studies standards”
is different from:
“Every student in State X must take a special class about 9/11 every year.”
The first statement may be accurate while the second could be completely false.
Why Doesn't Every State Have the Same Requirement?
One reason is the decentralized nature of American education.
The United States has 50 states, thousands of school districts, and many different approaches to curriculum development.
Some states establish detailed content standards.
Others use broader standards focused on historical thinking, civic inquiry, research, and analysis.
In some cases, states may not specifically list individual historical events because their standards are organized around broader themes.
Education Week has previously pointed out that some states that do not explicitly mention 9/11 also do not require students to study many other specific historical events. Their standards may emphasize skills such as evaluating evidence, understanding historical change, or analyzing political developments instead of creating a checklist of individual events.
This is an important distinction.
The absence of the words “September 11” from a state standard does not automatically mean that teachers are prohibited from teaching it.
In many cases, teachers have considerable flexibility in deciding which examples they use to teach broader historical concepts.
Teachers Can Still Teach 9/11
Even when a state does not specifically require 9/11 instruction, teachers may choose to teach it.
For example, a high-school history teacher discussing modern American foreign policy could use 9/11 as an important case study.
A government teacher might discuss how the attacks affected civil liberties and national security.
A world-history teacher could examine the development of al-Qaeda and the geopolitical conditions surrounding the attacks.
An English or media-literacy class could examine how newspapers, television, photographs, and social media represented the attacks and their aftermath.
This means students may encounter 9/11 through several different subjects.
The 9/11 Memorial & Museum offers educational materials that encourage this kind of inquiry. Its resources include lessons about what happened on September 11, the historical context of the attacks, the role of first responders, and the consequences for national security and civil liberties.
Why Teaching 9/11 Can Be Difficult
Teaching September 11 is not always easy.
Unlike events from distant centuries, 9/11 remains within living memory. Many teachers, parents, and students have personal connections to the event.
Older generations may remember exactly where they were when they heard about the attacks.
Some students may have parents or relatives who served in the military after 9/11.
Others may have family members who worked in emergency services.
For Muslim-American students, the aftermath of 9/11 can also raise questions about discrimination, stereotypes, Islamophobia, identity, and the treatment of Muslim communities.
This makes teaching the subject more complicated than simply presenting a timeline of events.
Teachers must provide historical information while also helping students understand the consequences of the attacks without reinforcing stereotypes.
The Importance of Teaching Multiple Perspectives
A strong 9/11 curriculum should not simply ask students to memorize dates and locations.
Students can study what happened on the morning of September 11, but they can also examine the broader consequences.
For example, they can investigate:
Why were the targets selected?
Who carried out the attacks?
What happened immediately afterward?
How did the United States respond?
Why did the United States invade Afghanistan?
How did national security policies change?
What happened to civil liberties?
How did American attitudes toward terrorism change?
How did Muslim and Arab communities experience the aftermath?
How did the attacks affect U.S. foreign policy?
How has the memory of 9/11 changed over time?
These questions help students move beyond memorization toward historical understanding.
The 9/11 Memorial & Museum specifically provides inquiry-based educational activities that encourage students to examine primary sources, first-person accounts, historical evidence, and multiple perspectives.
A Federal Effort to Encourage 9/11 Education
The debate over education about September 11 has also reached the federal level.
In 2022, Representative Andrew Garbarino introduced House Resolution 1334, which expressed the sense of the House of Representatives that all 50 states should include the September 11 terrorist attacks in elementary and secondary school curricula. The resolution was referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor.
The wording is important.
It was a resolution expressing the sense of the House rather than a federal law imposing a mandatory 9/11 curriculum on every school in the country.
This demonstrates the difference between encouraging states to teach a subject and creating a nationwide legal requirement.
More recently, Education Week reported that lawmakers again raised the issue in 2025, with a bipartisan resolution urging schools in all states to teach about the attacks.
These efforts show that the question remains relevant more than two decades after the attacks.
Why Some People Believe 9/11 Should Be Required
Supporters of mandatory 9/11 education argue that the attacks were one of the most significant events in modern American history.
They argue that students cannot fully understand contemporary U.S. foreign policy, national security, military conflicts, airport security, or political debates without understanding what happened on September 11.
There is also a generational argument.
Children born after 2001 have no personal memory of the attacks.
For them, 9/11 is already a historical event.
The 9/11 Memorial & Museum has emphasized the importance of educating younger generations who were too young to remember the attacks or were born afterward. Its educational programs are specifically designed to help students understand the history and continuing significance of 9/11.
Supporters therefore argue that education is necessary to preserve historical memory.
Why Others Prefer Flexibility
On the other hand, some educators believe curriculum should not become an endless list of legally required historical events.
Schools have limited instructional time.
Students need to study American history, world history, economics, civics, geography, government, and many other subjects.
If every important event becomes a mandatory requirement, teachers may have less flexibility to explore topics deeply.
There is also the question of how 9/11 should be taught.
Should students focus on the attacks themselves?
Should they study the rise of al-Qaeda?
Should they examine U.S. foreign policy?
Should they study the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq?
Should they discuss the Patriot Act and civil liberties?
Should they examine Islamophobia and discrimination?
A good curriculum could potentially cover all of these subjects, but doing so requires time and careful planning.
Teaching 9/11 Beyond the Date
Another problem with teaching 9/11 is that students can easily reduce the event to a few facts.
They might remember that the attacks occurred on September 11, 2001, that airplanes hit the World Trade Center and Pentagon, and that nearly 3,000 people died.
Those facts are essential, but historical education should go further.
Students should understand the causes, consequences, and long-term effects.
For example, one lesson could focus on the events of that morning.
Another could explore the experiences of firefighters, police officers, emergency medical workers, and civilians.
A later lesson could examine the U.S. government's response.
Another could explore how civil liberties and national security were debated.
This approach turns 9/11 from a single date into a broader historical case study.
The Role of Memorials and Museums
Institutions outside traditional schools also play an important role.
The 9/11 Memorial & Museum has developed programs for students and teachers, including classroom lessons, virtual experiences, professional development, and educational materials.
Its resources cover not only the attacks but also the events leading up to them and their continuing consequences.
This demonstrates that education about 9/11 does not depend exclusively on state mandates.
Museums, teachers, universities, libraries, and community organizations can all contribute.
Students can learn about history through primary documents, oral histories, photographs, videos, artifacts, and personal testimonies.
So, Right or Wrong?
The statement “Not every state requires schools to teach students about 9/11” is RIGHT.
There is no universal requirement forcing every state to include a specific 9/11 lesson in every school's curriculum.
Some states explicitly reference the attacks in their academic standards, while others do not. Some states address terrorism or modern U.S. history more broadly, which can provide teachers with opportunities to teach 9/11 even when the event is not specifically named.
It is therefore important not to interpret the absence of a specific requirement as meaning that students in those states necessarily never learn about September 11.
The reality is more complicated.
Conclusion
More than two decades after September 11, 2001, the attacks remain one of the most important events in recent American history. They transformed U.S. foreign policy, national security, military strategy, civil liberties debates, and American society.
Yet the United States does not have a single national curriculum requiring every school in every state to teach 9/11 in the same way.
Some states explicitly include the attacks in their standards. Others refer to broader subjects such as terrorism, foreign policy, or modern American history. Some leave significant decisions to local districts and teachers.
Therefore, the statement is correct.
But perhaps the more important question is not simply whether every state requires 9/11 to be taught.
The deeper question is how it should be taught.
Students should not only memorize what happened on September 11. They should understand the people who were affected, the historical context, the decisions made afterward, the wars that followed, the debates over security and freedom, and the ways the attacks continue to influence American society.
Teaching history is not only about remembering dates.
It is about understanding how one event can change a country—and how the consequences of that event can continue for generations.
For that reason, even where 9/11 is not explicitly mandated by state standards, there is a strong educational case for studying it carefully, critically, and with attention to multiple perspectives.
Final verdict: RIGHT — not every U.S. state specifically requires schools to teach students about 9/11, although many students may still learn about the attacks through state standards, local curricula, or individual teachers.
