Twenty-five years after the deadliest attack on US soil, Americans paused on Friday to commemorate the nearly 3,000 people killed when hijacked planes slammed into the World Trade Centre, the Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania — and to wrestle with the consequences of September 11 that reverberate to this day.
At the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, where American Airlines Flight 77 struck the building’s west flank, killing 184, President Donald Trump chronicled some of the stories of those aboard who perished in the crash: a woman pregnant with her first child, a family of four headed to Australia, three sixth-graders on a field trip.
The president and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who also delivered remarks, both used their speeches to make the case for the Iran war, which they have defended as necessary to prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
“We salute our first responders and law enforcement, and we love them,” Trump said.
“And we salute the service members working right now to ensure the Islamic Republic of Iran will never ever have a nuclear weapon.”
Mourners were also gathering in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, at the crash site where passengers brought down one of the four hijacked jetliners, United Airlines Flight 93, that had been headed for Washington.
The attacks shaped generations of Americans who lived through the day or grew up in its aftermath, influencing US foreign policy, domestic politics and public attitudes toward security.
It’s the second year in a row for Trump to mark the day at the Pentagon. The president, who is originally from New York, last attended the ground zero ceremony there in 2024.
The president sought to offer a hopeful note as he finished his remarks at the solemn remembrance at the Pentagon.
“September 11th reminded us of the terrible power of hate,” Trump said. “The 25 years since have shown us the even greater power of the American spirit to endure and prevail, and to win.”
“And today, our country is stronger than it has ever been before. It has never been as strong as it is right now,” Trump added.
The president took a moment in his speech to give a nod to American troops at war.
“We salute the service members working right now to ensure the world’s number one sponsor of terror — the Islamic Republic of Iran — will never ever have a nuclear weapon.”
