White House responds as Trump refuses to attend 9/11 memorial after not being allowed to speak
The White House has responded to claims that President Donald Trump backed out of the official New York City ceremony commemorating the 25th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks after he was denied the chance to speak.
As the world prepares to remember the lives lost in the September 11 attacks, Trump’s team allegedly decided to issue a no-show in light of some rules.
Per reports, New York officials were under the impression the president planned to attend the memorial at the World Trade Center site.
That was until the event organizers apparently revealed to the administration its known policy prohibiting political figures from addressing the crowd, reported The New York Times.
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The National Sept. 11 Memorial and Museum has had this rule in place since 2012 after some political back and forth regarding the site's reconstruction.
Because of this, Trump will allegedly be at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, which was also struck in the attacks, to deliver a speech.
Vice President JD Vance will attend the Ground Zero commemoration in New York alongside former Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama.
As reports claim Trump isn’t attending because of the political rule, the White House has formally responded.
The White House issued a statement without naming the claims.
“As a proud New Yorker, President Trump has spoken about his own experiences watching the horrific events of September 11, 2001,” White House deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly 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 has since hit out at the reporter behind the Times article, writing on Truth Social that she is ‘the Fake Reporter from The Failing New York Times, an unattractive person both inside and out, and who knows less about me than most reporters on the beat (She’s a SCAMMER!)’.
He went on to claim 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: “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 said: "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 last attended the Ground Zero ceremony in 2024 during his second presidential campaign.
There, he didn’t deliver an address and neither did other figures beside him.
When reporters asked if he would consider doing both events in New York and then in Virginia for the memorial, Trump said: “I’m doing the Pentagon.”
Topics: US News, Politics, Donald Trump
Britt Jones