President Donald Trump is debunking a report claiming he plans to skip Ground Zero’s 25th anniversary ceremony for the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center because he was barred from giving a speech.
“[The New York Times] made up a story that on September 11th, I’m not going to the World Trade Center, in New York City, because they won’t let me make a speech, and I’m going to the Pentagon in D.C., because I’m a featured speaker,” Trump, 80, wrote via Truth Social on Friday, August 28. “This is more Corrupt News, I’ve been to New York many times over the years, and no one ever speaks, it’s a ‘solemn ceremony!’”
He continued, “I would love not to speak, because I’m speaking all the time, and this is a day to remember the victims, and their beautiful family members.”
Trump’s post came after the New York Times reported on Friday that Trump’s team conducted visits to the site of the attack in Manhattan, New York, often referred to as Ground Zero, citing “four people with knowledge of the events.” They signaled to officials in New York and Washington that the president intended to visit Ground Zero himself and hoped to speak at the September 11 ceremony. However, politicians have been banned from speaking at the site since 2012 in an effort to keep it nonpartisan.
Trump, 80, is now expected to attend a ceremony at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia — which also came under attack on September 11, 2001 — according to the outlet.
Another reason for his attendance at the Pentagon instead of Ground Zero is that Trump is planning to travel to his golf course in Doonbeg, Ireland, the following day, and it’s easier to leave from Joint Base Andrews in Maryland than the tri-state area airports, the NYT reported.
Vice President JD Vance is expected to represent the White House in New York.
“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,” White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a statement.
The statement continued, “As a proud New Yorker, President Trump has spoken about his own experiences watching the horrific events of September 11, 2001.” (Trump, a native New Yorker, spoke about the September 11 attacks during his 2016 presidential campaign.)
The president and First Lady Melania Trump marked the September 11 anniversary at the Pentagon last year.
“In America we take blows, but we never buckle. We bleed, but we do not bow, and we defy the fear, endure the flames and emerge from the crucible of every hardship stronger, prouder and greater than ever before,” Trump said in his speech at the time. “Last year we were a dead country, now we have the hottest country anywhere in the world.”
Trump last attended a September 11 memorial event in NYC during the presidential race in 2024, when he joined then-president Joe Biden, then-vice president Kamala Harris and other officials at Ground Zero.
Several other politicians are expected to attend the 25th anniversary memorial at Ground Zero, including former Mayor Rudy Giuliani, former President Bill Clinton and his wife, Hillary Clinton, former President George W. Bush and his wife, Laura Bush, and former President Barack Obama, the NYT reported.
