President Donald Trump will commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks at the Pentagon rather than attending the annual ceremony at the World Trade Center site in New York City, according to The New York Times.
Trump had reportedly sought an opportunity to deliver remarks at the Ground Zero ceremony. However, the National September 11 Memorial & Museum has prohibited speeches at the observance since 2012, a policy established to preserve the nonpartisan and solemn character of the event, according to the Times.
Instead, Trump will participate in the Sept. 11 commemoration at the Pentagon, two people familiar with the plans told the newspaper. Vice President JD Vance is expected to represent the White House at the Manhattan ceremony.
The president is scheduled to travel to Ireland the following day to attend a tournament at his golf course there. According to the Times, departing for Ireland from the New York area would create greater disruptions to local air and road traffic than leaving from Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.
Trump most recently attended the Ground Zero commemoration in 2024. During that visit to New York, he also stopped at a city fire station.
“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,” Anna Kelly, a spokeswoman for the president, told the Times.
Trump is expected to address those gathered at the Pentagon ceremony, as he did during last year’s 9/11 observance there.
Among those expected to attend the 25th-anniversary ceremony in Manhattan are former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former first lady Laura Bush.
{Matzav.com}
