Trump leads Pentagon service honouring September 11 victims and rescuers
Developed over time first seen 2 months ago
President Donald Trump marked the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks with a remembrance ceremony at the Pentagon on Friday, honouring victims and the first responders who died in the rescue effort. The White House said Trump, who witnessed the 2001 attacks unfold from New York while working as a property developer, wanted to pay tribute to those "killed at the hands of evil terrorists" and to the emergency workers who risked their lives, continuing a pattern from his earlier years in office of attending either the Pentagon or the Shanksville memorial on the anniversary.
Vice President JD Vance led a separate ceremony at the World Trade Center site in New York, joined by former presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, along with former mayor Rudy Giuliani, while other administration officials attended events in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, giving the White House a presence at all three sites linked to the attacks. Ahead of the anniversary, the Tunnel to Towers Foundation brought its "Steel Across America" tour to the White House, displaying a 21-foot, 16,900-pound steel beam recovered from the World Trade Center's South Tower as part of a wider memorial tour that has visited 21 states.
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In short
- Trump attended a Pentagon ceremony for 9/11's 25th anniversary
- Vance, Obama, Bush and Clinton marked the day in New York
- Officials also gathered in Shanksville; a WTC steel beam toured the White House
How this story developed
- 2 months ago The White House formally confirmed Trump's Pentagon attendance and the wider three-site commemoration, framing the account as fresh detail on how the administration marked the milestone even as the core arrangements remained unchanged from earlier reporting.
- 2 months ago Coverage shifted to the past tense as the ceremonies took place, revealing that the White House quoted Trump describing victims as "killed at the hands of evil terrorists" during the Pentagon remembrance.
- 2 months ago The report added that Trump's Pentagon appearance fits a pattern seen throughout his time in office, and specified that the "Steel Across America" beam display formed part of a wider tour that has already staged pop-up events in 21 states.
- 2 months ago President Trump will attend a Pentagon ceremony on Friday for the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, with Vice President JD Vance leading a separate New York event alongside former presidents Obama, Bush and Clinton, while a recovered South Tower steel beam went on display at the White House ahead of the day.
- Fox News Trump set to honor 9/11 victims and first responders at Pentagon and more top headlines
- The Hill Watch live: Trump commemorates 25 years since 9/11 in Pentagon speech
- The Hill Trump, Hegseth tie Iran war to 9/11 in speech at Pentagon
- Fox News Trump leads Pentagon service honouring September 11 victims and rescuers
Full account
President Donald Trump is due to mark the 25th anniversary of the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks with a ceremony at the Pentagon on Friday, paying tribute to those who died and to the emergency responders who took part in the rescue effort. Confirming the plans, White House principal deputy press secretary Anna Kelly said the president, who has often spoken of watching the attacks unfold as a New Yorker, would use the day to remember the victims, support their families, and recognise the first responders who risked their lives to help others.
The administration has arranged for senior figures to be present at all three sites associated with the attacks. While Trump attends the Pentagon service, Vice President JD Vance will represent the White House at the World Trade Center site in New York, where he is expected to be joined by former presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, along with ex-New York mayor Rudy Giuliani. Other administration officials will travel to Shanksville, Pennsylvania, the site where United Airlines Flight 93 crashed after passengers confronted the hijackers.
This is not the first time Trump has taken part in 9/11 remembrance events. Last year he and First Lady Melania Trump attended the Pentagon ceremony and signed a Patriot Day proclamation ordering flags to be flown at half-staff, before later attending a baseball game in the Bronx at which victims were also honoured. During his first term he attended Pentagon services in 2017 and 2019, and travelled to the Shanksville memorial in 2018 and 2020. Trump has recalled watching the attacks from a window with a direct view of the World Trade Center while working as a property developer in the city, describing his disbelief at witnessing the explosion in real time.
In the run-up to the anniversary, the charity Tunnel to Towers brought a large section of steel recovered from the World Trade Center's South Tower to the White House as part of a touring memorial that has visited more than twenty states. Coverage of the anniversary in the American press extended beyond the president's schedule: alongside straightforward reporting on his itinerary, at least one outlet's news summary devoted more attention to a related controversy in New York, where mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani faced calls from some 9/11 families to stay away from the Ground Zero memorial but declined to do so, alongside other loosely connected stories marking the anniversary.
Where outlets differ
From the full account, which is AI-written from the sources:
The detailed news report concentrates on the factual record of Trump's plans and history with 9/11 commemorations, including direct quotes from the White House and specifics of his itinerary at the Pentagon, dating back to his first-term appearances.
The newsletter-style source treats the Pentagon story as only one item in a wider digest, giving it far less depth and instead foregrounding a separate, more contentious story about New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani resisting calls from 9/11 families to skip the Ground Zero memorial.
The newsletter source also surfaces tangential anniversary-related coverage (survivor stories, opinion pieces from 9/11-linked figures, a Fox News documentary series) that the primary news report does not mention at all, reflecting a broader media environment around the anniversary rather than a singular focus on the president's movements.
Explained simply
President George W. Bush was in office when four hijacked planes were flown into the World Trade Center in New York, the Pentagon near Washington DC, and a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, on 11 September 2001, killing nearly 3,000 people. Since then, the anniversary has been marked each year with ceremonies at all three sites, involving victims' families, survivors, and the emergency workers who took part in the rescue efforts. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the attacks.
President Donald Trump, who was a New York-based real-estate developer at the time of the attacks, is due to attend the Pentagon ceremony, while Vice President JD Vance will lead the event in New York. Former presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, along with former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, are also expected to take part in the World Trade Center ceremony, alongside other officials attending events in Shanksville.
The anniversary remains a significant moment in American public life, both as a commemoration of those who died and as a marker of the lasting impact the attacks had on US foreign and domestic policy. Ceremonies typically include the reading of victims' names, moments of silence at the times the planes struck, and tributes to first responders, many of whom later suffered health problems linked to their work at the sites.
Coverage · 4 sources
Bias meters
From 4 rated sources.
- Fox NewsFar rightTrump leads Pentagon service honouring September 11 victims and rescuers
- Fox NewsFar rightTrump set to honor 9/11 victims and first responders at Pentagon and more top headlines
- The HillRightWatch live: Trump commemorates 25 years since 9/11 in Pentagon speech
- The HillRightTrump, Hegseth tie Iran war to 9/11 in speech at Pentagon
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Originally published by Fox News as “Trump set to honor 9/11 victims, first responders at Pentagon on 25th anniversary”.