President Donald Trump will deliver his speech to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attack on New York City, hundreds of miles away from Lower Manhattan, at the Pentagon. Trump is set to speak at the Pentagon's 9/11 Observance Ceremony on Friday morning, honoring the 184 people killed when American Airlines Flight 77 struck the building. Vice President JD Vance will represent the administration at the Ground Zero ceremony in New York City, while other officials attend the observance in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
The 25th anniversary is drawing commemorations across all three attack sites and beyond. The Pentagon's 9/11 Observance Ceremony is scheduled to begin around 9 a.m. The ceremony is not open to the public, but it will be livestreamed by the Department of War and the White House, while also carried by multiple news outlets.
The National September 11 Memorial and Museum has barred elected officials from speaking at its ceremony since 2012, citing its commitment to remaining nonpartisan. According to a report first published by The New York Times, Trump wanted to deliver remarks marking the milestone anniversary, prompting him to choose the Pentagon instead. Asked by reporters why he would not be in New York, Trump said, "Because I'm going to the Pentagon." He later pushed back on reporting about his plans in a Truth Social post, calling it "more Corrupt News" and saying he has attended the New York ceremony many times over the years.
"This is more Corrupt News, I've been to New York many times over the years, and no one ever speaks, it's a 'solemn ceremony!'" Trump wrote, adding, "I would love not to speak, because I'm speaking all the time, and this is a day to remember the victims, and their beautiful family members." White House principal deputy press secretary Anna Kelly told Newsweek in a statement that Trump would use the Pentagon ceremony to remember the victims, honor their families and pay tribute to first responders. Trump also marked last year's 24th anniversary at the Pentagon, then traveled to the Bronx that evening for a Yankees game. He last attended the Ground Zero ceremony in 2024, while campaigning for a second term.
The Memorial Plaza opens to victims' family members at 7 a.m. The program itself begins at 8:30 a.m., with the first moment of silence observed at 8:46 a.m., marking the moment the first hijacked plane struck the North Tower. The ceremony includes seven moments of silence total, marking when each tower was struck and fell, the times of the attacks on the Pentagon and Flight 93, and a new seventh moment observed after the reading of the names, honoring those who died later from 9/11-related illness.
The World Trade Center campus is closed to the public from 10 p.m. The Memorial plaza is expected to reopen to the public Friday afternoon, though the museum has not yet announced an exact time. Vice President JD Vance will attend in Trump's place.
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