President Joe Biden claimed in a Sept. 11, 2023 speech that he was in New York City where the World Trade Center towers fell the day after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

“I join you on this solemn day to renew our sacred vow, ‘never forget.’ … I remember standing [at Ground Zero] the next day and looking at the building. I felt like I was looking through the gates of hell.”

— Pres. Biden commemorates 9/11 at a military base in Anchorage, Alaska pic.twitter.com/reG0FPWwyJ

— The Recount (@therecount) September 11, 2023

Verdict: False

Biden was likely in Washington D.C. the entire day. A White House spokesperson pointed to a visit to the site on Sept. 20, 2001.

Fact Check:

Biden delivered remarks about the 22nd anniversary of 9/11 at a military base in Anchorage, Alaska, according to NBC News. During the speech, he claimed that he “remembered standing” at Ground Zero, New York” the day after the 9/11 attacks.

“Ground Zero, New York. I remember standing there the next day and looking at the building. I felt like I was looking through the gates of hell,” Biden said. (RELATED: Viral Image Of Costco ‘Blame Joe Biden’ Gas Pump Screen Is Digitally Edited)

This claim is false. C-SPAN video from Sept. 12, 2001 shows that he was a Senate session in Washington D.C. voting on a resolution to condemn the attacks that day. The vote occurred at 1:45pm EST, according to the description from C-SPAN. The roll call from the vote showed that he voted yes on the resolution.

While Check Your Fact could not account for Biden’s entire day, he did appear for an interview with journalist Charlie Rose the night of Sept. 12. The interview identified that Biden was in Washington D.C., not New York City.

Check Your Fact reviewed the entirety of the video and did not find any indication that Biden visited New York City that day. Biden discussed multiple items, such as Congress’s response to the attacks, how other nations were reacting and whether or not Al-Qaeda terrorist leader Osama Bin Laden was responsible for the attacks.

“Well, I think the first thing it’s going to do, Charlie, is continue to fully support the president. He has incredible assets available to him to move against the perpetrators of this– these incredible acts of terrorism. We’re narrowing down very clearly who the targets may be,” Biden said.

Check Your Fact also did not find any articles reporting on Biden visiting New York City the day after. Former President George W. Bush visited New York City on Sept. 14, 2001.

A White House spokesperson referred Check Your Fact to articles published by CNN and the Associated Press (AP). Biden visited the site of the attacks on Sept. 20, which is more than a week after than what he claimed in his remarks in Alaska. Biden was on an Amtrak train going from Wilmington, Delaware to Washington D.C. on the day of the 9/11 attacks, according to the AP.