Full Breakdown
Former Presidents Gather at Ground Zero While Trump Holds Pentagon Ceremony
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Event: Former Presidents Attend 25th-Anniversary Memorial in New York
On the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks, the four living former U.S. presidents—Joe Biden, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush—convened at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in Manhattan. Vice President JD Vance represented the current administration. The ceremony marked the moment the first plane struck the North Tower at 8:46 a.m. and included a newly added seventh moment of silence for victims of 9/11-related illnesses. President Donald Trump did not travel to New York; instead he and First Lady Melania Trump attended a separate commemorative event at the Pentagon.
Background & Context
The September 11 attacks, carried out by al-Qaeda terrorists, killed nearly 3,000 people across the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania. Annual memorials read the names of the deceased and observe moments of silence for each impact. This year’s ceremony added a silence for those who later died from illnesses linked to the toxic dust released when the towers collapsed.
Key Figures & Groups
- Joe Biden — President, 46th; with First Lady Jill Biden
- Barack Obama — President, 44th; with former First Lady Michelle Obama
- Bill Clinton — President, 42nd
- George W. Bush — President, 43rd; delivered remarks
- JD Vance — Vice President, representing the Trump administration
- Rudy Giuliani — Former New York City mayor, 2001-2009
Data & Statistics
- 2,977 people were killed in the 2001 attacks, per the White House.
- Cantor Fitzgerald reported that 658 of its 960 employees died.
- The World Trade Center Health Program reports more than 9,000 deaths from 9/11-related illnesses, including 600 firefighters.
Criticism & Opposition
Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani, speaking about Mayor Mamdani’s role in the ceremonies, said, “He stands in direct support of the movement that killed their children,” and added that Mamdani’s presence “offends” him.
On-the-Ground Reports
Robert Favela, a former White House food-service employee, recalled hearing the second plane hit while speaking with his wife and later traveling with President Bush to Ground Zero three days after the attacks. He described the site as a “war zone” and remembered Bush’s shouted response, “I can hear you,” through a megaphone to a rescue worker whose microphone failed.
Verbatim Quotes
- “As I'm talking to my wife then all of a sudden the second plane hits,” — Robert Favela
- “It was a war zone at that point, and that's how we treated it,” — Robert Favela
- “The rest of the world hears you, and the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon,” — George W. Bush
- “He stands in direct support of the movement that killed their children,” — Rudy Giuliani
- “Over the past six months, we have laid waste to the world’s most prolific state sponsor of terrorism,” — Pete Hegseth, defense secretary
