25 Years Since 9/11, Trump to Miss New York Ceremony: I Will Be at the Pentagon

Donald Trump will commemorate the 25th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks at the ceremony to be held at the Pentagon.

The U.S. president said he would be at the Pentagon on September 11 and explained why he would not attend the traditional event near Ground Zero in New York.

After returning from Houston, reporters asked him whether he would attend the New York ceremony. Trump replied: “No, because I will be going to the Pentagon.”

Vice President JD Vance is expected to attend the memorial ceremony in New York. At the same time, other U.S. administration officials will take part in the event to be held in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

This year marks 25 years since the September 11, 2001, attacks. That day, al-Qaeda militants hijacked four planes and used them in attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people in New York, at the Pentagon and in Shanksville.

The events of September 11 brought profound changes to U.S. foreign policy and the country’s approach to national security.

Trump, who is from New York, last attended the ceremony near Ground Zero in 2024. Last year, he took part in the event at the Pentagon, where he delivered a memorial speech and recalled some of the dramatic moments of that day.

“A day to remember the victims and their beloved family members,” Trump wrote in a social media post, referring to September 11.

For JD Vance, this year’s ceremony will also mark his return to New York’s memorial event. Last year, he had planned to be there but traveled to Salt Lake City to stay with the family of conservative activist Charlie Kirk following his assassination.