Trump To Skip NYC 9/11 Memorial As Biden, Obama, Bush And Clinton Gather

Donald Trump will mark the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks at the Pentagon rather than Ground Zero, leaving him as the only living US president absent from the New York ceremony, where Joe Biden, Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton are expected to gather.

Trump is expected to attend the Pentagon remembrance with First Lady Melania Trump, while Vice President JD Vance will represent the White House at Ground Zero. The four former presidents will be joined by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and other dignitaries.

The reason for Trump's decision remains disputed. The New York Times reported that Trump had initially planned to attend the New York ceremony but changed course after his team was reminded that politicians have been barred from making speeches there since 2012. The rule is intended to preserve the event's nonpartisan character and keep the focus on victims and their families.

Trump has strongly denied that explanation, saying politicians do not speak at the solemn ceremony anyway. He has maintained that he simply decided to attend the Pentagon instead. Vice President Vance has also said there is no special security concern behind Trump's absence.

Logistics may also have played a role. Trump is scheduled to attend a Republican Party midterm convention in Dallas before the anniversary and is expected to travel to Ireland afterward for the Irish Open at his golf resort in Doonbeg. Departing from the Washington area would be easier than leaving New York.

Trump attended the Ground Zero ceremony in 2024 but did not attend the New York remembrance in 2025, instead taking part in a Yankees event honouring victims. He marked last year's anniversary at the Pentagon with Melania.

The New York gathering will bring together four different presidencies. Bush was in office when the attacks occurred, Obama later oversaw the operation that killed Osama bin Laden, Clinton had left office only months before 9/11, and Biden was president during the 20th anniversary.

The ceremony will feature family members reading the names of those killed and seven moments of silence marking key moments of the attacks and later deaths linked to 9/11-related illnesses. Nearly 3,000 people were killed, including 2,753 at the World Trade Center, 184 at the Pentagon and 40 aboard Flight 93.

The anniversary has already generated political controversy. Vance recently joked about having “intense intellectual conversations” with Biden at Ground Zero, drawing criticism from relatives of 9/11 victims and first responders.

Meanwhile, New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani has designated September 11 as a Day of Remembrance and Service, with memorial events, educational activities and a moment of silence, while also announcing measures aimed at strengthening the city's emergency preparedness.

The attacks on September 11, 2001, transformed US foreign policy, national security and the global fight against terrorism. Twenty-five years later, commemorations will take place at Ground Zero, the Pentagon and the Flight 93 crash site in Pennsylvania, but the image of four former presidents together in New York while the sitting president observes the anniversary elsewhere is likely to become one of the defining moments of the 25th anniversary.