D. Trump will participate in a ceremony honoring the victims when al Qaeda fighters hijacked planes and killed nearly 3,000 people in three locations, shaking the foundations of U.S. foreign policy and national security.
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At dawn and in heavy rain, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and top military officials stood outside watching as a huge U.S. flag was unfurled on the building hit by one of those planes a quarter of a century ago.
This is the second consecutive year that D. Trump commemorates this day at the Pentagon. The president, originally from New York, last attended the ceremony at Ground Zero in 2024.
Vice President J. D. Vance plans to attend the commemoration in New York alongside former presidents, while other administration officials will go to a ceremony in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
J. D. Vance planned to be in New York for the anniversary last year but instead flew to Salt Lake City to be with Charlie Kirk’s family after the conservative activist was killed.
During last year’s Pentagon commemoration, D. Trump gave a speech recalling moments from the day of the attacks, including excerpts from conversations of passengers on the hijacked planes.
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At an event near the White House on Tuesday, D. Trump promised never to forget the victims and noted that the September 11 attacks were one of the few moments in history that “divide time into what was before and after.”
At this event, initiated by the Tunnel to Towers foundation, a massive steel beam measuring 6.4 meters long and weighing nearly 7.7 tons, found at the site of the collapsed South Tower of the World Trade Center in New York, was displayed.
Having traveled the country for several months as part of the “Steel Across America” tour, this beam was scheduled to be in New York on Friday, where a procession will follow the path of fallen New York firefighter Stephen Siller.
On Wednesday, D. Trump issued a proclamation naming Friday “Patriots Day 2026,” recalling the timeline of 2001 when “our Nation’s peace was shattered,” and called his administration “unwavering in its commitment to ensure that our Nation is defended by the strongest and most destructive military the world has ever known.”
On Thursday evening at the Republican convention in Dallas, the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks was commemorated on stage with families and firefighters in uniform, accompanied by the piece “Ave Maria.” The names of the victims appeared on the screen and a bell rang in memory of the fallen firefighters.
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