The White House has pushed back against reports that President Donald Trump is skipping the Ground Zero 9/11 ceremony because organizers barred him from speaking.
White House deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly issued a statement framing Trump’s plans around remembrance rather than any dispute over remarks. “As a proud New Yorker, President Trump has spoken about his own experiences watching the horrific events of September 11, 2001,” she said. “On the 25th anniversary of this tragic day, the President 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, 78, will instead mark the anniversary at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, where he is scheduled to deliver a speech. Vice President JD Vance will represent the administration at the New York ceremony alongside former Presidents Bill Clinton, 78, George W. Bush, 79, and Barack Obama, 63.
The president lashed out at the reporting in a series of posts on Truth Social. He targeted the outlet correspondent Maggie Haberman, writing: “the Fake Reporter from The Failing the outlet, an unattractive person both inside and out, and who knows less about me than most reporters on the beat (She’s a SCAMMER!)”
Trump continued his attack by claiming she “made up a story that on September 11th, I’m not going to the World Trade Center, in New York City, because they won’t let me make a speech, and I’m going to the Pentagon in D.C., because I’m a featured speaker.”
He added his own characterization of past ceremonies: “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!'”
The former president also expressed a preference for silence on the anniversary. “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,” he wrote on Truth Social.
When reporters pressed him on whether he might attend both the New York and Virginia events, Trump shut down the possibility. “I’m doing the Pentagon,” he said.
The National Sept. 11 Memorial and Museum has maintained a policy since 2012 prohibiting political figures from addressing the crowd at the Ground Zero ceremony. This rule emerged from political disputes surrounding the site’s reconstruction more than a decade ago. New York officials had reportedly understood that Trump planned to attend the World Trade Center memorial before the administration learned of the speaking restriction.
Trump last appeared at the Ground Zero ceremony in 2024 during his second presidential campaign, where he did not deliver remarks. Other political figures present also refrained from speaking at that event.
PAGES: