September 12 :
At the 9/11 memorial in New York City, where almost 3,000 people lost their lives in the 2001 airline crashes, former president Donald Trump, vice president Kamala Harris, and president Joe Biden made an unusual combined presentation on September 11. Despite their heated debate the night before, Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris and her Republican opponent, Donald Trump, shook hands and exchanged a few words before lining up for the memorial. The US presidential election was held on November 5. The event was also attended by Senator JD Vance, who is running with Trump.
There were no official statements made at the "ground zero" location where the World Trade Center's twin towers were brought down by jets. In its place, relatives who were bereaved 23 years ago hear the names of their loved ones read aloud. This yearly ceremony commemorates the 9/11 terrorist attacks, when two planes crashed into the World Trade Center and another into the Pentagon, killing 3,000 people. As a result of a passenger invasion of the cockpit, a fourth aircraft crashed in a field in Pennsylvania.
"O'Connor, Richard J. At the memorial service for his grandfather, who tragically lost his life in the World Trade Center attacks, a red-headed kid spoke movingly. Honor guards from the Port Authority and the New York City Fire and Police Departments marched in step with a piper and drum procession. At the same moment that each target was hit, the national song was played and a minute of silence was observed.
Michael Bloomberg, the former mayor of New York City, was also present and stood between Joe Biden and Donald Trump. Following their stop in New York, Biden and Harris made a beeline for Shanksville, Pennsylvania, the site of the United Flight 93 hijacking and subsequent crash in a field that spared another target. With a gentle touch, Biden placed a hand on the wreath at a white marble memorial in the field, paying his respects to the forty victims lost in the disaster. In addition to Harris, federal officials including Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, and Calvin Wilson—the brother-in-law of Flight 93 co-pilot LeRoy Homer Jr.—were there.
As they spoke with local fire officials at the Shanksville Volunteer Fire Department, the president and vice president took a moment to examine another memorial. It was erected on an adjacent hill, and forty flags fluttered in the wind. After paying their respects at the Pentagon, they intended to return to the Washington region.
Terrorists thought they could weaken our resolve and bring us to our knees on this day 23 years ago. Myth busted. Their opinions will never change. We discovered light even in the darkest of hours. While we were all afraid, we banded together to protect our nation and provide aid to those in need, Biden stated in a statement he gave first thing in the morning.
On September 11, Trump told Fox News, "It was very, very sad, horrible day." He had intended to visit the memorial in Pennsylvania that day. Nothing like that has ever happened before. Before the attacks, Biden made a proclamation paying tribute to the victims and the hundreds of thousands of Americans who enlisted in the military in the aftermath.
"We owe these patriots of the 9/11 Generation a debt of gratitude that we can never fully repay," Biden said, referencing deployments to Afghanistan, Iraq, and other conflict zones, as well as the capture and killing of 911's mastermind Osama bin Laden and his deputy.
