President Donald Trump plans to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks at the Pentagon rather than the World Trade Center, where Vice President JD Vance will represent the White House at the annual Manhattan remembrance ceremony.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
President Donald Trump will commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks at the Pentagon instead of attending the annual remembrance ceremony at ground zero in New York City, with Vice President JD Vance expected to represent the White House in Manhattan.
Trump is expected to deliver remarks during the Pentagon observance, according to two people familiar with the president’s plans cited by The New York Times.
The decision follows discussions surrounding Trump’s desire to speak during the World Trade Center ceremony. The National September 11 Memorial & Museum has not permitted speeches as part of the annual observance since 2012, a policy designed to maintain the ceremony’s nonpartisan character and keep attention centered on the victims and the solemnity of the anniversary.
Trump will instead participate in the Pentagon ceremony, where he is expected to give a speech as he did during last year’s observance.
“On the 25th anniversary of this tragic day, the president will remember those who were killed at the hands of evil terrorists, honor their loved ones, and pay tribute to the brave first responders who put their lives on the line to rescue their fellow Americans,” presidential spokeswoman Anna Kelly told the Times.
Vance will attend the New York ceremony on behalf of the administration.
The Manhattan observance is also expected to draw several prominent current and former political leaders, including former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, former Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former first lady Laura Bush.
Trump most recently attended the ground zero commemoration in 2024. During that trip, he also visited a New York fire station.
Travel logistics are also a factor in the president’s schedule surrounding the anniversary.
Trump plans to travel to Ireland the following day to attend a tournament at his golf course there. According to the Times, departing for Ireland from an airport in the New York metropolitan area would create greater disruptions to roadways and air traffic than leaving from Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.
Holding Trump’s Sept. 11 observance at the Pentagon therefore allows the president to remain closer to the Washington area before beginning his overseas trip.
The Pentagon was one of three locations struck during the coordinated Sept. 11 attacks, along with the World Trade Center in Manhattan and the area near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where another hijacked passenger jet crashed.
Trump’s decision means the White House will have a presence at the New York commemoration through Vance while the president participates in the separate remembrance at the Pentagon.
The ceremonies will mark a major milestone — 25 years since the attacks — with Trump’s appearance in Virginia expected to include both remembrance of those killed and recognition of the first responders who participated in rescue efforts.
Unlike the ground zero ceremony, where the longstanding format excludes political speeches, the Pentagon observance will provide Trump an opportunity to address the anniversary publicly before his scheduled departure for Ireland the next day.
Original article
Comments