WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said he will visit the Pentagon on the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and won't attend the annual Sept. 11 ceremony at the Ground Zero site of the World Trade Center in New York.
Trump confirmed his plans to reporters Aug. 28, but wouldn't say why he's not going to the remembrance ceremony in New York. "Because I'm going to the Pentagon," he said when asked by a reporter.
The New York Times reported one reason Trump is bypassing the New York 9/11 ceremony is because he wanted to deliver remarks at the event, but the ceremony since 2012 has barred remarks from politicians to keep the event nonpartisan and focused on remembering the victims.
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Trump strongly disputed the assertion in a lengthy post on Truth Social and vowed to include it in an ongoing defamation lawsuit against the Times filed last year. "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.
Vice President JD Vance plans to instead travel to New York for the 9/11 ceremony, the White House said.
According to the Times report, logistical considerations also factored into Trump's decision to skip the New York 9/11 memorial. Remaining in Washington better accommodates a planned departure the next day to his golf course in Doonbeg, Ireland, where he is attending the Irish Open tournament.
Of the nearly 3,000 people killed in the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, 2,753 died at the World Trade Center, 184 died at the Pentagon and another 140 people died in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
Ahead of the 9/11 anniversary, Trump will be in Dallas for the Republican Party's midterm convention, where he's set to speak on the evening of Sept 10.
Trump, a native New Yorker, also attended the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, in 2025 to pay respects to 9/11 victims. The president last attended the 9/11 memorial at the World Trade Center site in 2024, when President Joe Biden was also in attendance months before the 2024 presidential election.
Although Trump will be absent, this year's 9/11 ceremony in New York is expected to include former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, along with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, according to the Times.
Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump to visit Pentagon, not New York, for 25th anniversary of 9/11
