[2] The proposed complex would have replaced the former Twin Towers of the World Trade Center destroyed in the September 11 attacks, restoring the skyline of the city to its former state.

[14] The new design would feature a steel skin built in two layers–a tube within a tube–that has heavier columns and better structural support than the original, and it would call for larger windows for comfort and improved fireproofing.

[13] Joanna Rose, spokeswoman for the LMDC, which is coordinating reconstruction at the site, said the organization intended to go forward with its chosen plan.

Randy Warner, co-founder of Team Twin Towers said: "As long as we haven't started digging a hole in the ground, there's room for discussion.

"[16] and "It was a magnificent structure to see going up", recalls Artie Vignapiano, who was a Port Authority landscape planner as the original World Trade Center was built.

Trump said the following about David Childs and Daniel Libeskind's design of One World Trade Center: It's in the hands of a man named Larry Silverstein, who's a friend of mine, who's a great developer in New York and a really good guy.

Support for the project increased due to the criticism of the Childs-Libeskind design[18] and accusations from 2002 revived against former New York Governor George Pataki, accused of cronyism for supposedly using his influence to get the winning architect's design picked as a personal favor for his friend and campaign contributor, Ron Lauder.

[19] In May 2005, Trump appeared on Hardball with Chris Matthews to discuss the proposed Childs-Libeskind Freedom Tower design.

"[20] While the project was gaining publicity due to Donald Trump's sponsorship of it, former Borough president of The Bronx, Fernando Ferrer, supported the plan to build new twin towers, saying that it is "very interesting and it should be considered.

Before the statement, Ferrer issued a rebuilding plan that called to spread out the 10 million square feet of office space around the five boroughs so it "decentralized.

she continued to explain, "Fernando Ferrer has always believed that the mayor's responsibility was to both rebuild critical mass at Ground Zero and, using existing hubs, expand office space throughout the five boroughs.

[21] Greg Manning, who worked in the original World Trade Center along with his wife Lauren, wrote an article in The New York Times supporting the Twin Towers II project.

His wife Lauren was burnt by the fireball that blew out the lobby of the North Tower after American Airlines Flight 11 hit the building.

[22] Greg said the following about the project: When my wife and I visit or pass by the site today, we may gape at the emptiness but our gaze is drawn upward.

[22]Trump, on May 18, 2005, held a press conference at his residence on Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, to address the proposed Twin Towers II design.

[23] Along with him was engineer Ken Gardner and architect Herbert Belton, Trump presented the Team Twin Towers designed twin-towered complex model.

The Freedom Tower plan, according to Trump, "looks like a junkyard, a series of broken-down angles that don't match each other.

"[23] Trump, finishing his speech, said that "If we rebuild the World Trade Center in the form of a skeleton, the terrorists win."

To address security issues raised by the New York City Police Department, a 187-foot (57 m) concrete base was added to the design in April of that year.

The design originally included plans to clad the base in glass prisms in order to address criticism that the building might have looked uninviting and resembled a "concrete bunker".