Biden Joins Former Presidents at Ground Zero for 9 11 Anniversary

Twenty-five years after the September 11 attacks, all four living former U.S. presidents are expected to take part in anniversary commemorations. They will not, however, be gathering in the same place, with former President Joe Biden joining three other former presidents in New York while President Donald Trump attends a ceremony at the Pentagon.

Biden and former first lady Jill Biden have confirmed they will attend the September 11 memorial ceremony at the World Trade Center site. Their appearance means Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Biden are all expected at Ground Zero for one of the most significant anniversaries since the attacks.

Biden Will Join Three Other Former Presidents

Biden’s attendance at the New York ceremony was confirmed by his spokesman, T.J. Ducklo, according to the reference material. Jill Biden will also attend the event, where family members of those killed in the attacks are expected to spend hours reading the names of the victims.

Former President George W. Bush and former first lady Laura Bush are also expected to attend. Bush had been president for roughly eight months when the attacks took place on September 11, 2001, making him the president most directly associated with the immediate national response.

Barack Obama and Bill Clinton are also expected to be present at the Ground Zero ceremony. Hillary Clinton, who was serving as a senator from New York when the attacks occurred, is also slated to attend.

The gathering will bring together former presidents from different political eras at a memorial ceremony focused primarily on the victims and their families. It will also create a striking contrast with the current president, who is scheduled to commemorate the anniversary at another site attacked on September 11.

A Ceremony Centered on Victims

The Ground Zero ceremony follows a format designed to keep the focus on those who died. Family members read the names of the victims, a process that takes several hours and remains one of the most emotional parts of the annual commemoration.

The National September 11 Memorial and Museum has prohibited politicians from making remarks at the ceremony since 2012. According to the references, politicians have been allowed to participate by reading poems or significant American texts, but formal political speeches are not permitted.

That policy is intended to preserve the nonpartisan nature of the event. With major political figures from both parties expected to attend the 25th anniversary, the restrictions are likely to receive even greater attention this year.

Trump Will Mark the Anniversary at the Pentagon

Trump will not attend the Ground Zero ceremony alongside the former presidents. Instead, he is expected to appear at the Pentagon, another location permanently linked to the attacks of September 11.

The Pentagon was struck by a hijacked aircraft on the same morning that two planes crashed into the World Trade Center. The attack there killed 184 people, according to the reference material provided.

First lady Melania Trump is expected to join the president at the Pentagon ceremony. Trump also attended the anniversary event there last year and delivered remarks honoring victims, their families and the emergency personnel who responded to the attacks.

Vice President JD Vance is expected to attend the Ground Zero ceremony in New York on behalf of the administration. Other White House officials are expected to be present at the Flight 93 crash site in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

The administration’s commemoration will therefore be spread across the three locations most closely connected to the attacks. Trump is also expected to honor September 11 first responders and New York Fire Department officials at the White House before the anniversary.

Why Trump Is Skipping the New York Ceremony

Trump had initially been expected to attend the New York memorial, according to the references. That plan later changed, and reports about the reason for the decision have become part of the political story surrounding the anniversary.

The New York Times reported that one factor was the rule prohibiting politicians from delivering speeches at Ground Zero. The publication cited multiple people with knowledge of the discussions, although Trump later denied that the restriction was the reason for his absence.

Trump and White House communications director Steven Cheung publicly described the reporting as false. Trump also criticized New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman over the article.

“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,” Trump wrote in a social media post quoted in the reference material.

The sources also identify other possible factors behind the president’s decision. Trump’s schedule includes a Republican National Committee midterm convention in Texas before September 11 and travel to Ireland shortly after the anniversary.

One person briefed on the matter reportedly told The New York Times that overseas travel would be easier if Trump departed from Joint Base Andrews in Maryland. The references also mention ongoing security concerns involving threats from Iran, although they do not establish whether those concerns influenced the decision.

The White House Did Not Confirm the Report’s Explanation

The available references do not provide a definitive explanation for Trump’s decision to attend the Pentagon rather than Ground Zero. While The New York Times reported that the speech restriction was a factor, Trump has publicly rejected that claim.

A White House statement cited by The Independent focused on Trump’s plans to remember those killed in the attacks and honor the first responders who risked their lives. The statement did not directly confirm that the prohibition on speeches played a role in the president’s travel plans.

The dispute has nevertheless drawn attention to the memorial’s rules. Trump’s decision means he will be the only living president not attending the New York ceremony, while still participating in the national commemoration at the Pentagon.

The Ground Zero Speech Ban Has Been in Place Since 2012

The restrictions on political speeches are not new. The National September 11 Memorial and Museum has barred politicians from making formal remarks during the Ground Zero ceremony since 2012, according to all three references.

The rule reflects the nature of the event, which is built around remembrance rather than political messaging. Families of those killed are given the central role through the annual reading of victims’ names.

Political leaders can still participate in the ceremony. The reference material states that politicians have been permitted to read poems and significant American texts, including the Gettysburg Address.

The distinction between participating and delivering a political speech has become particularly relevant this year because of Trump’s reported objections to the New York event’s format. His public comments, however, suggest that he disputes the idea that the rule affected his decision.

Four Former Presidents Will Still Gather in Manhattan

Biden’s confirmation completed the group of former presidents expected to attend the Ground Zero ceremony. Bush, Obama and Clinton had already been identified in the reference material as planned attendees.

Their presence brings together presidents who led the country through different stages of the post-September 11 era. Bush faced the immediate aftermath, while Obama, Trump and Biden each dealt with political and security issues shaped by the attacks and their consequences.

The gathering also includes several women who held prominent roles during those years. Jill Biden, Laura Bush and Hillary Clinton are all expected to attend the New York event.

The former presidents will not be the focus of the ceremony itself. The memorial’s format places victims and surviving family members at the center, with the reading of names continuing as the defining ritual of the day.

Twenty-Five Years Since the Attacks

The September 11 attacks killed 2,977 people at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and aboard the hijacked aircraft involved in the attacks. The events unfolded across several locations and changed the course of American politics and foreign policy.

Two hijacked commercial planes struck the Twin Towers in New York City. Another plane hit the Pentagon, while United Airlines Flight 93 crashed in Pennsylvania after passengers fought back against the hijackers.

The attacks transformed national security in the United States and led to military conflicts that continued for years. Every president represented at this year’s commemorations has held office during a period shaped in some way by the aftermath.

Bush was in office when the attacks occurred, while Obama later oversaw the operation that killed al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. The long conflict in Afghanistan continued through several administrations before Biden oversaw the withdrawal of U.S. forces in 2021.

Three Sites Carry the Memory of September 11

The 25th anniversary will again involve ceremonies connected to the three main attack locations. Each site represents a different part of a morning that unfolded over several hours and affected the entire country.

• Ground Zero in New York City: The annual ceremony will include the reading of victims’ names and the attendance of Biden and the three other living former presidents.
• The Pentagon in Virginia: Trump and Melania Trump are expected to attend the anniversary ceremony at the site where 184 people were killed.
• Shanksville, Pennsylvania: White House officials are expected to commemorate the passengers and crew of Flight 93, which crashed after passengers fought the hijackers.

The separate ceremonies reflect the scale of the attacks and the different communities that were directly affected. Together, the three locations remain central to how the United States remembers September 11.

A Divided Political Moment Meets a Nonpartisan Memorial

The anniversary comes during a period of intense political division in the United States. That backdrop has made the separate plans of Trump and the former presidents an especially noticeable part of the story.

Yet the Ground Zero ceremony has deliberately maintained a format intended to limit political messaging. The ban on speeches means the event is structured around victims and their families rather than the public statements of elected officials.

This year’s anniversary will therefore present two different presidential images. Four former presidents are expected to stand together at the World Trade Center memorial, while the sitting president marks the same anniversary at the Pentagon.

Trump’s decision does not mean the administration will be absent from New York. Vance is expected to attend Ground Zero, ensuring that the White House is represented alongside the former presidents and families gathered for the ceremony.

The arrangement also means all three major September 11 locations will receive attention from the federal government. The commemorations will take place across different settings, but each will focus on people whose lives were permanently changed by the attacks.

The Victims Remain at the Center of the Day

The political disagreement surrounding Trump’s plans has generated major headlines, particularly because the 25th anniversary is such a significant milestone. Biden’s confirmation has added to the attention by ensuring that all four living former presidents will be represented in the broader national commemoration.

At Ground Zero, however, the ceremony will return to the names of the people who died. Family members will once again carry out the task that has defined the memorial for years, reading those names aloud in front of relatives, survivors and public officials.

Four former presidents may gather in New York, while the current president appears at the Pentagon, but the anniversary belongs first to the victims and the families who have carried September 11 with them for a quarter of a century.