Trump to mark 9/11 anniversary at Pentagon, not Ground Zero

President Donald Trump will not attend the 25th anniversary commemoration of the September 11 attacks at Ground Zero in New York City, opting instead to deliver remarks at the Pentagon memorial, according to multiple reports. The decision comes as the National September 11 Memorial and Museum maintains its longstanding policy of barring elected officials from speaking at the Manhattan ceremony to keep the event nonpartisan and focused on victims and their families.

Trump’s team had conducted advance visits to the World Trade Center site and initially signaled an intention to attend, but his interest in speaking from the podium was conveyed to organizers in recent weeks. Since 2012, the memorial has prohibited politicians from delivering remarks, allowing only family members to read the names of the nearly 3,000 people killed in the 2001 attacks. The ceremony is designed to be a solemn, apolitical observance.

Vice President JD Vance is now expected to represent the White House at the Ground Zero event on September 11, 2026. Former Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama, along with former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, are also expected to attend. The New...