Trump to commemorate 9/11 at Pentagon as 25th anniversary approaches

Trump to commemorate 9/11 at Pentagon as 25th anniversary approaches

US President Donald Trump announced Friday that he will commemorate the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks at the Pentagon, while Vice President JD Vance will represent the administration in New York, where families will gather to read the names of 2,983 victims killed in both the 2001 attacks and the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.

Trump's decision follows a report by The New York Times suggesting the president altered his plans after learning he could not deliver remarks at Ground Zero. The National September 11 Memorial & Museum has prohibited speeches by elected officials at its annual ceremony since 2012, maintaining a policy designed to keep the commemoration nonpartisan and focused on victims' families.

When reporters asked why he would not attend the New York ceremony, Trump replied simply:

Because I'm going to the Pentagon.

Asked if he could visit both sites, he repeated his answer without elaboration.

The president later issued a lengthy statement on Truth Social attacking the Times report and reporter Maggie Haberman, whom he derisively called "Maggot Hagerman." Trump wrote that the New York ceremony is traditionally a "solemn ceremony" where "no one ever speaks" and insisted he "never even thought of" requesting to deliver remarks.

I would love not to speak, because I'm speaking all the time, and this is a day to remember the victims, and their beautiful family members,

he added.

Honoring victims at multiple sites

The September 11 attacks claimed 2,977 lives across three locations. At the World Trade Center in New York, 2,753 people died, including 343 firefighters. The Pentagon attack in Arlington, Virginia killed 184 people, comprising 59 passengers aboard American Airlines Flight 77 and 125 workers and civilians inside the building. A fourth hijacked plane crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, killing all 40 people on board after passengers fought back against the hijackers.

The New York ceremony will include six moments of silence marking the times when each tower was struck, when each fell, the Pentagon attack, and the Flight 93 crash. A seventh moment of silence will honor the more than 5,000 people who have since died from respiratory diseases, cancers, and other conditions related to exposure at the attack sites, according to the World Trade Center Health Program and the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund.

White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said in a statement that administration officials will attend commemorations at all three attack sites.

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,

Kelly said.

Pattern of Pentagon attendance

Trump has attended 9/11 commemorations at various locations throughout his political career. He participated in the New York ceremony in 2016 as the Republican presidential nominee and again in 2024 ahead of his second election. During his first term as president, he attended ceremonies at the Pentagon and the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville. He also marked last year's 24th anniversary at the Pentagon, making 2026 his second consecutive year attending the Virginia memorial.

The White House confirmed that Trump is scheduled to travel to his golf course in Doonbeg, Ireland on September 12, the day after the anniversary, where the Irish Open golf tournament will be held.

Additional commemorative events are planned across New York. The FDNY will hold a ceremony on September 9 at FerryHawks Stadium on Staten Island to honor the 343 department members who died on September 11, 2001, and more than 400 members who have since succumbed to World Trade Center-related illnesses.