Live updates: Trump, Vance, past presidents pause to remember Sept. 11
President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth observed a Sept. 11 remembrance at the Pentagon on Friday, while Vice President Vance attended a ceremony at Ground Zero alongside past presidents and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D). The nation paused to honor victims of the 2001 terrorist attacks as memorials took place in multiple locations.
Why It Matters
The events brought national leaders together at symbolic sites of the 2001 attacks, underscoring the continuing public observance of Sept. 11 and the role of official ceremonies in collective remembrance. Reporting notes that the New York memorial was conducted without political remarks, highlighting a focus on honoring victims.
Key Facts
- Event date: Friday morning (date not specified in source)
- Locations: Pentagon; Ground Zero, New York City
- Attendees at Pentagon: President Trump; Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth
- Attendees at Ground Zero: Vice President Vance; past presidents; New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D)
- Occasion: Commemoration of victims of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks
Officials and former leaders gathered at the nation’s most prominent Sept. 11 sites on Friday to mark the anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attacks. At the Pentagon, President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth participated in memorial observances for the victims who died there and elsewhere that day.
In New York, Vice President Vance joined past presidents and Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D) at Ground Zero for a separate ceremony. The gatherings in both locations were part of a wider national pause to remember the lives lost in the 2001 attacks and to honor first responders and others affected by the events.
Organizers and officials emphasized the commemorative nature of the New York event, which reporting says included no political remarks. The absence of political commentary at Ground Zero was presented as a deliberate focus on remembrance rather than partisan expression.
Across the country, memorial services and moments of silence were observed as Americans marked the anniversary, with leaders from different branches and levels of government taking part in ceremonies at symbolic sites of the attacks.
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