President Biden, Vice President Harris, as well as former President Donald Trump and Ohio Sen. JD Vance commemorated the 23rd anniversary of the September 11 attacks by attending a ceremony at the Sept. 11 memorial at Ground Zero in New York.
Just hours past their first presidential debate Tuesday night, Harris and Trump shook hands ahead of solemn ceremonies. None of the political leaders made formal remarks at the event, which was comprised of a reading of the names of those who died by members of their families.
Other political leaders attending the ceremony were Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, former NY Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and former NY Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Giuliani was mayor at the time of the attack, and Bloomberg was elected mayor in November 2001.
Harris and Biden proceeded to Shanksville, Pennsylvania to participate in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Flight 93 memorial, and later stopped by a local Shanksville volunteer fire station that served as a key gathering point for families in 2001. They also went on to travel to the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, for another wreath laying ceremony.
Trump and Vance also stopped briefly at a New York fire station, where they met with first responders, and Trump later visited the Flight 93 memorial in Shanksville, Pennsylvania and greeted firefighters and the families of Flight 93 victims at the Shanksville Volunteer Fire station, where Harris and Biden also stopped earlier in the day.
Gov. Tim Walz, Harris’ running mate, marked the somber day in his home state of Minnesota. Walz said in a post on X: “23 years ago, an unthinkable tragedy profoundly changed our nation. September 11 is a day we will never forget.”
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