President Donald Trump will not be attending the 9/11 memorial ceremony in New York City on Sept. 11, but four former presidents of the United States are expected to be in attendance.
Former Presidents Joe Biden, George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, along with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, are expected to attend the ceremony at Ground Zero in New York, according to The New York Times and NewsNation. Obama's office, the Clintons, Bush's office and the National September 11 Memorial and Museum did not immediately respond to a request from USA TODAY for additional information.
Despite calls for him not to attend the event, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he plans to go to this year's remembrance ceremony. At a July
27 news conference, Mamdani said he "will proudly honor the families, the survivors, the first responders forever impacted by that horrific terror attack by standing alongside them at this year's 9/11 commemoration."
"We will never forget the solemn day felt by all of us who call this city home, and frankly by all of us who call this country home," the mayor added.
The memorial event will have family members of those killed in the attacks recite the names of the dead, after which six moments of silence will 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," according to the National September 11 Memorial & Museum's 25th anniversary plans. A seventh moment of silence will also be held to honor those lost to 9/11-related health issues.
Twenty-five years ago, on Sept. 11, 2001, 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 foreign 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.
Trump to visit Pentagon on 9/11
Trump, meanwhile, said on Aug. 28 that he will visit the Pentagon on the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, but wouldn't say why he's not going to the remembrance ceremony at the World Trade Center.
"Because I'm going to the Pentagon," the president said when asked by the media about his decision, USA TODAY previously reported.
White House spokesperson Olivia Wales told Fox News Digital on Wednesday, Sept. 2, that Trump also plans to honor 9/11 first responders and New York Fire Department officials at the White House ahead of the 25th anniversary on Sept. 8.
The New York Times reported that one reason Trump is bypassing the New York ceremony is that he wanted to deliver remarks at the event, but since 2012, organizers have barred remarks from politicians to keep the event nonpartisan and focused on remembering the victims.
However, Trump strongly disputed the assertion in a lengthy post on Truth Social and vowed to include it in a 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.
Logistical considerations also factored into Trump's decision to skip the New York ceremony, according to the Times report. 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.
Trump, a native New Yorker, last attended the 9/11 memorial at the World Trade Center site in 2024; President Joe Biden was also there months before the presidential election. Last year, he attended the Pentagon ceremony in Arlington, Virginia.
Vice President JD Vance plans to be in New York for the 9/11 ceremony, the White House said.
Contributing: Joey Garrison, USA TODAY
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: Trump will not attend 9/11 ceremony in New York. These presidents will
