Trump says he’ll visit Pentagon, not NYC, to commemorate 25 years since 9/11

Washington — President Trump said he will not be in New York City next month to mark 25 years since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks because he’s going to the Pentagon instead. 

Asked by a reporter Friday why he won’t commemorate the event in his hometown of New York, Mr. Trump said, “Because I’m going to the Pentagon.” Vice President JD Vance will visit New York on Sept. 11, a White House official said. 

“The vice president is still traveling to NYC and all three sites will be represented with administration officials in attendance,” a White House official said, referring to the attack sites in Manhattan and the Pentagon and the field in Pennsylvania where United Airlines Flight 93 crashed.

Mr. Trump, a Queens native, last attended the annual Ground Zero commemoration ceremony in 2024 while running for president, along with then-President Joe Biden and then-Vice President Kamala Harris. He didn’t attend the ceremony last year, although he attended a New York Yankees vs. Detroit Tigers game in New York City that honored the victims. 

“As a proud New Yorker, President Trump has spoken about his own experiences watching the horrific events of September 11, 2001,” White House spokeswoman 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.”

The New York Times first reported the president wouldn’t attend the Manhattan ceremony.

During his first term in office, the president didn’t attend the Manhattan ceremony, instead honoring the victims at the Pentagon or at the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, or both. In 2021, he visited New York City police officers and firefighters in Manhattan. 

Mr. Trump attended the Manhattan ceremony in other years, including in 2016, when he was running against Hillary Clinton. 

Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will attend the commemoration ceremony in Manhattan next month, a Clinton spokesperson confirmed to CBS News. Former President George W. Bush and former first lady Laura Bush also plan on attending, according to the Bush Presidential Center.