NEW YORK: US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday will commemorate the 23rd anniversary of the September 11 attacks on the US with visits to each of the three memorial sites where hijacked planes crashed in 2001, resulting in the deaths of nearly 3,000 people.
The day will be marked by visits to Ground Zero in New York City, Shanksville, Pennsylvania, and the Pentagon Memorial in Washington, D.C.
Biden and Harris will begin their day at the World Trade Center site in New York City, where the twin towers were destroyed. The visit comes amid a significant day for Harris, who is also the Democratic nominee for president.
Harris will travel to New York after a high-profile debate with her Republican opponent, former President Donald Trump, in Philadelphia last night. The debate took place just eight weeks before the November 5 presidential election.
At Ground Zero, no formal remarks are planned. Instead, relatives of the victims will read the names of those who perished in the attacks, honoring their memory in a tradition that has become a central part of the annual commemoration.
Former President Trump, who is also attending the New York City ceremony with his running mate JD Vance, has echoed the sentiment of reflection and remembrance. Trump has described the day as “very, very sad” and “horrible”.
Following their visit to New York City, Biden and Harris will travel to Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Here, passengers aboard United Flight 93 fought back against the hijackers, leading to the plane crashing into a field and preventing further destruction.
The final stop for Biden and Harris will be the Pentagon Memorial in Washington, D.C., where they will pay tribute to the victims of the attack on the Pentagon, the headquarters of the US Department of Defense.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, speaking aboard Air Force One, highlighted the emotional weight of the day. “We can only imagine the heartbreak and the pain that the 9/11 families and survivors have felt every day for the past 23 years, and we will always remember and honor those who were stolen from us way too soon,” Jean-Pierre said. “We will continue to do everything in our power to ensure that an attack like this never happens again.”
President Biden paid tribute to those who lost their lives as well as the countless Americans who volunteered for military service in the aftermath of the attacks. “We owe these patriots of the 9/11 Generation a debt of gratitude that we can never fully repay,” Biden said.
LIVE: @SecDef Lloyd J. Austin III and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Air Force @GenCQBrownJr speak at a ceremony honoring the 184 lives lost in the 2001 terrorist attack on the Pentagon. https://t.co/OBN6TiWMbv
— Department of Defense 🇺🇸 (@DeptofDefense) September 11, 2024
On Tuesday, US congressional leaders posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal to 13 service members who died in the August 26, 2021, suicide bombing at Kabul’s airport, which occurred during the chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan.
