President Donald Trump is reportedly preparing to mark the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks at the Pentagon rather than Ground Zero in New York City.
The president is expected to deliver remarks at the Pentagon ceremony on Sept. 11, according to reporting from The New York Times and CNN.
Vice President JD Vance will represent the administration at the World Trade Center memorial in Manhattan. A White House official told NewsNation that all three sites attacked on Sept. 11, 2001, will have administration officials in attendance.
Trump, a native New Yorker, had reportedly considered attending the Ground Zero ceremony. The National September 11 Memorial and Museum has not permitted political figures to deliver remarks at the annual ceremony since 2012, however, as part of its effort to preserve the event’s nonpartisan character.
White House spokesperson Anna Kelly emphasized Trump’s personal connection to the city and the attacks.
“As a proud New Yorker, President Trump has spoken about his own experiences watching the horrific events of September 11, 2001,” Kelly said.
She added that Trump will “remember those who were killed at the hands of evil terrorists” while honoring their families and the first responders who risked their lives to save others.
The president’s Pentagon appearance will continue a familiar tradition. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump attended the ceremony there last year, when the president delivered remarks and participated in a wreath-laying ceremony.
“Americans did not hesitate,” Trump said during the 2025 observance. “They stood on their feet and they showed the world that we will never yield.”
The president also renewed the nation’s promise that the 2,977 people killed in the attacks would never be forgotten.
Trump previously attended the Ground Zero ceremony in 2024 alongside Vance, former President Joe Biden and former Vice President Kamala Harris. During his first term, Trump spoke at commemorations held at both the Pentagon and the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
This year’s administration-wide observance will once again extend across all three attack sites as the country pauses to mark a quarter-century since one of the darkest days in American history.
Trump is scheduled to leave for Ireland the following day to attend the Irish Open at his golf course in Doonbeg.
