Former presidents Joe Biden, George W. Bush, Barack Obama and their spouses, along with former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, were among those who attended the 9/11 memorial ceremony at the site of the World Trade Center in New York on Friday, Sept. 11. Former New York City mayors Rudy Giuliani and Michael Bloomberg also participated in the ceremony, which marked 25 years since the deadly attacks changed the course of history.
Video footage from the commemoration at Ground Zero showed the ex-presidents mingling with other attendees and waving to the crowds before the ceremony began shortly before 9 a.m. ET.
Before the ceremony started, a moment of silence was observed at 8:46 a.m. ET, to mark the time when
the first plane, American Airlines Flight 11, struck the north tower of the World Trade Center. A second moment of silence was held at 9:03 a.m. ET when the second plane, United Airlines Flight 175, struck the south tower.
Six moments of silence were scheduled to be observed to mark "the times when each of the World Trade Center towers was struck, when each tower fell, and the times corresponding to the attack at the Pentagon, and the crash of United Airlines Flight 93 in Pennsylvania," the National September 11 Memorial and Museum said. A seventh moment of silence will also be held to honor those lost to 9/11-related health issues.
It has been 25 years since planes hijacked by terrorists crashed into the World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, and a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, in what was the deadliest terror attack on U.S. soil.
Nearly 3,000 people died as a result of the attacks, including the 19 hijackers from the Islamist extremist group al-Qaida. The events of that day forever transformed the country.
This year's ceremony was also attended by Vice President JD Vance, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
Where is President Donald Trump?
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump, meanwhile, attended a memorial at the Pentagon, where hundreds gathered to remember the 184 people who died in the building and aboard Flight 77, which hit the building at 9:37 a.m. on Sept. 11, 2001.
Trump had previously announced he would be skipping the memorial ceremony in New York because "it just so happens that the strong request was made for me to be at the Pentagon instead." He added Vance would be "handling our Administration’s representation in New York."
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@gannett.com and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Watch former presidents honor 9/11 victims at World Trade Center site
