WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump plans to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks at the Pentagon, where he is expected to deliver remarks, CNN reported.
Vice President JD Vance is expected to represent the administration at the World Trade Center ceremony.
The president’s team initially discussed having Trump attend the New York ceremony, two people briefed on the plans told CNN. The sources said the location changed in part because Trump wanted to deliver remarks.
The National September 11 Memorial & Museum, which organizes the Ground Zero commemoration, has not included speeches by political figures since 2012. The policy is intended to keep the ceremony nonpartisan and centered on the victims and their families.
White House spokesperson Anna Kelly told CNN, “As a proud New Yorker, President Trump has spoken about his own experiences watching the horrific events of September 11, 2001,” and that his remarks at the Pentagon “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.”
Trump has attended previous 9/11 observances in New York, including the ceremonies in 2016 and 2024. During his first term as president, he attended commemorations at the Pentagon and the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. On the 20th anniversary in 2021, he visited an FDNY firehouse and an NYPD precinct in Manhattan. Trump also attended the Pentagon ceremony in 2025, where he delivered remarks and participated in a wreath-laying ceremony.
