Trump Will Mark 9/11 at Pentagon; Vance to Represent Administration in NYC

President Donald Trump confirmed Friday he will observe the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks at the Pentagon, sending Vice President JD Vance in his place to the ceremony at the World Trade Center site in Lower Manhattan.

Other administration officials will attend the memorial in Shanksville, Pa., where one of the four hijacked planes crashed after passengers and crew attempted to retake the aircraft, the White House said.

Trump attended the Pentagon ceremony last year as well and delivered remarks that included accounts from passengers aboard the hijacked planes. He last attended the ground zero ceremony in 2024 and was also present at the Manhattan event in 2016.

Published reports had suggested Trump was drawn to the Pentagon venue in part because the rules at the World Trade Center event bar politicians from giving speeches — a format that has been in place since 2012. The 9/11 Memorial and Museum, which organizes the downtown ceremony, reserves the speaking role for family members who read aloud the names of those killed.

Trump rejected that framing in a Truth Social post. "I've been to New York many times over the years, and no one ever speaks, it's a 'solemn ceremony!'" he wrote, adding that the day belonged to the victims and their families.

White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said Trump, who grew up in Queens, planned to "remember those who were killed at the hands of evil terrorists, honor their loved ones, and pay tribute to the brave first responders."

The 9/11 Memorial and Museum said in a statement that elected officials of both parties have attended the ceremony over the years and that every living president, including Trump, has participated. "Of course, President Trump is always welcome," the organization said.

This year marks a quarter-century since the coordinated al-Qaida attacks killed nearly 3,000 people across New York, Virginia and Pennsylvania and reshaped U.S. foreign policy and national security.