US President Donald Trump speaks at the 25th anniversary commemoration of the September 11, 2001 attacks at the Pentagon in Washington, DC, on September 11, 2026.
New York commemorated the 25th anniversary of the devastating September 11, 2001 attacks Friday with a ceremony marked by controversy over President Donald Trump's absence and right-wing outrage over the attendance of the city's first Muslim mayor.
In an unusual move, Trump was paying his respects at the Pentagon, rather than joining the event in New York, where hijacked planes destroyed the World Trade Center and killed most of the 2,977 total victims on that world-altering day.
Vice President JD Vance and Trump's four living predecessors -- Republican George W. Bush, who was in office during the attacks, and Democrats Joe Biden, Barack Obama and Bill Clinton -- were gathering at the Ground Zero site in lower Manhattan.
The ceremony, which began just after 8:40 a.m (1240 GMT), was designed to be apolitical, with no speeches.
