President Donald Trump will not visit ground zero for the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on Friday, appearing instead for an event in Washington.
The New York Times reported that Trump opted out of the New York City event in part because he wouldn’t be allowed to deliver remarks there. In a Truth Social post on Tuesday, Trump said he is attending a ceremony at the Pentagon because there was “a strong request” that he be there. He also said he “never asked to speak” at the Ground Zero event because he knew politicians were not allowed to.
Trump did speak with first responders and officials from the New York Fire Department and the local Washington, D.C., fire department at the White House on Sept. 8 to mark the anniversary. The event featured a 21-foot steel beam recovered from the south tower of the World Trade Center, and Trump posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Welles Crowther, the equities trader known as the “Man in the Red Bandana” who is credited with saving numerous lives before he died at age 24 in the tower’s collapse.
“As a proud New Yorker, President Trump has spoken about his own experiences watching the horrific events of September 11,” White House spokesperson Anna Kelly told HuffPost. “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.”
