Daniel Wolfram
The president and New York native plans to stay away from the 25th anniversary of the tragedy in Manhattan and will instead visit the Pentagon.
Everything was prepared and ready for the President of the United States.
His team had scoped out the site where the memorial event if being held and all the security measures were in place.
But then a call came down barring him from being at the center of the emotional day, which made him cancel his original plans. Now the president will not be attending the official remembrance of one of the darkest days in the history of the country.
No speeches allowed
President Donald Trump will not attend the 25th anniversary memorial ceremony at Ground Zero in Manhattan, according to reporting by The New York Times.
The withdrawal stems from the simple fact that Trump wanted to give a speech. The venue, however, has maintained a strict ban on political remarks since 2012.
The National September 11 Memorial and Museum, the organizer behind the memorial, has a strict policy that the day of remembrance should be strictly nonpartisan due to the seriousness of the event.
Instead of speeches from elected officials, grieving families spend hours reading the names of their loved ones who are gone too soon.
A trip to the Pentagon instead
Rather than taking a backseat during the event in New York, Trump will mark 9/11 at the Pentagon, where he is permitted and scheduled to speak.
Vice President JD Vance will represent the administration in Manhattan alongside former presidents George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama.
At the Pentagon, Trump will deliver a formal address. During his speech at the site last year, he pledged to honor fallen heroes, saying, “We recall the light of America’s best and bravest and the love that they showed in their final moments.”
New York, New York
White House spokesperson Anna Kelly confirmed the change of plan in an official statement. “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,” she stated.
Trump had an anomalous reaction when the attacks happened back in 2001. Hours after the towers collapsed, he claimed in an interview with a local New Jersey television station that his building at 40 Wall Street had suddenly regained status as the area’s tallest building.
“And then, when they built the World Trade Center, (40 Wall Street) became known as the second-tallest, and now it’s the tallest,” Trump said during the interview. That was not true. Records show that 70 Pine Street was actually taller at that time.
