US President Donald Trump observed Friday’s 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks by attending a ceremony at the Pentagon.
The ceremony commemorated the lives lost when al Qaida militants hijacked planes and killed nearly 3,000 people in three locations, upending American foreign policy and national security.
Mr Trump and first lady Melania Trump listened as the names of the 184 people killed at the Pentagon that day were read aloud at the start of the ceremony.
Earlier, in a downpour at daybreak, defence secretary Pete Hegseth and top military officials stood outside and watched as an American flag was unfurled on the building hit by one of those planes.
Vice president JD Vance was attending the New York observance alongside former presidents, and other administration officials will be at the ceremony in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
Mr Vance had planned to be in New York for the anniversary last year but instead flew to Salt Lake City to be with the family of Charlie Kirk after the conservative activist was assassinated.
Twenty-five years ago, our Nation changed forever. But September 11 is remembered not only for what we lost, but for what we found: unity, love, courage, & an unshakable patriotism.
God bless America. 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/0wPIVQGYdr
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) September 11, 2026
During last year’s commemoration at the Pentagon, Mr Trump recounted moments from the day of the attacks, including snippets of conversations from passengers who were aboard the hijacked airplanes.
At an event on Tuesday at the Ellipse just outside the White House, Mr Trump vowed to “never forget” victims, noting that the attacks were one of few moments in history that “divide time into really what came before” and after.
That event, spearheaded by the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, showcased a 21ft, nearly 17,000lb steel beam recovered from the South Tower of the World Trade Centre in New York.
Travelling for months across the country as part of the Steel Across America tour, the beam was to be in New York for a procession on Friday retracing the steps of the late New York City firefighter Stephen Siller.
On Wednesday, Mr Trump issued a proclamation that marked Friday as “Patriot Day 2026”, recounting the chronology of the day in 2001 on which “the peace of our nation was shattered” and describing his administration as “unwavering in its commitment to ensure that our nation is defended by the strongest and most lethal military the world has ever known”.
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