Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) went to bat for Donald Trump on Tuesday after the president claimed that two “big, strong” firefighters carried him away to safety amid fears of a building collapse near ground zero after the 9/11 terror attack.Trump, who has a history evidence-free talk about him and a crew heading to ground zero to aid in the recovery, used an event honoring 9/11 first responders Tuesday to claim he once feared a building near the World Trade Center site would fall “on top of” him before the firefighters swooped in.“They grabbed me under the arms, said, ‘Got to get out of here.’ And they literally lifted me up ... and they started running with me,” Trump said.When asked Trump’s claims by CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, Cruz defended the president’s memory bank.“Sept. 11 was 25 years ago,” said the senator before underscoring that Trump is a New Yorker and he doesn’t doubt that “what he’s conveying there is what he experienced.”“And that was a traumatic experience for all of us,” he added."September 11th was 25 years ago" -- Ted Cruz defends Trump lying about his response to 9/11 but suggesting he might not remember because it was so long ago pic.twitter.com/CpuYmcNM5H— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 9, 2026Cruz’s defense didn’t hold up with critics on social media as several X users, including leftist Twitch streamer Hasan Piker, reminded their followers that the senator once “liked” a hardcore porn video that was shared on Sept. 11, 2017.“So i’m not surprised this is his defense for trump,” Piker wrote.One user joked, “never forget except for donald trump, he can forget,” while another chirped that his defense is “exactly what a bootlicker like Ted Cruz would do….especially after Trump used to make fun of his wife’s looks.”And veteran political scientist Norman Ornstein put it simply, “What a disgrace is Ted Cruz.”The White House has also come to Trump’s defense while the president, in a lengthy Truth Social post, insisted he was near ground zero, “obviously not on the same day as the collapse, but shortly thereafter.”