President Donald Trump will welcome first responders, victims’ families and public officials to the White House for a solemn tribute ahead of the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
The Sept. 8 event will feature a massive steel beam recovered from the World Trade Center’s South Tower, bringing a tangible piece of Ground Zero history to the nation’s capital.
The 21-foot, 16,900-pound beam will be displayed on the White House Ellipse as part of the Tunnel to Towers Foundation’s nationwide “Steel Across America” memorial tour, Fox News Digital reported.
Trump and Tunnel to Towers Chairman and CEO Frank Siller are both expected to deliver remarks.
“President Trump will pay tribute to the American heroes we lost in the tragic Sept. 11 attacks,” White House spokesperson Olivia Wales told Fox News.
Wales said Trump will stand alongside first responders to renew the country’s “sacred vow that we will never forget.”
White House Plans Tributes At All Three Sites
The White House event will take place three days before the United States marks a quarter-century since the attacks that killed 2,977 people in New York, at the Pentagon and near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
Trump plans to attend the official anniversary ceremony at the Pentagon on Sept. 11. When a reporter recently asked why he would not attend the ceremony in his native New York City, Trump responded, “Because I’m going to the Pentagon,” according to CBS News.
Vice President JD Vance will represent the administration at the World Trade Center site, while other administration officials will attend observances in Shanksville.
A White House official told CBS that all three locations affected by the attacks will have administration representatives in attendance.
White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said Trump will remember those murdered by terrorists, honor their families and recognize the first responders who risked their lives to save others.
Trump and First Lady Melania Trump attended the Pentagon’s 9/11 commemoration last year. The president later traveled to New York for a Yankees game that included additional tributes to the victims and heroes of the attacks.
A Piece Of American History Crosses The Country
The steel beam’s visit to Washington will be one of the final stops on a four-and-a-half-month journey designed to ensure that younger generations understand the sacrifice and heroism witnessed on Sept. 11, 2001.
According to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, the beam has traveled more than 10,500 miles and appeared at over 35 locations across 21 states.
The invitation-only White House event follows stops at the United States Military Academy at West Point and the Massachusetts Fallen Heroes Memorial in Boston.
On Sept. 11, the steel will return to New York for a procession through the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel, retracing the final footsteps of FDNY firefighter Stephen Siller.
Siller had finished his shift and was heading to play golf with his brothers when he learned that a plane had struck the World Trade Center. After discovering that the tunnel had been closed, he strapped approximately 60 pounds of firefighting equipment to his back and ran through it toward the burning towers.
He died while attempting to save others.
His brother, Frank Siller, later founded Tunnel to Towers in his memory.
“For the past four months, communities across the country have welcomed this sacred piece of American history with incredible emotion,” Siller said while announcing the tour’s concluding events.
Honoring 343 Fallen Firefighters
The foundation says it has delivered more than 2,000 mortgage-free homes and committed over $1 billion to assisting veterans, first responders and families of fallen heroes during its 25-year history.
This year, Tunnel to Towers is delivering 343 mortgage-free homes in honor of the 343 FDNY firefighters killed on 9/11. Its homeless veteran initiative has also provided housing assistance and services to more than 20,000 veterans since 2022.
The White House tribute will give Trump and the attending first responders an opportunity to honor those sacrifices directly beside a piece of steel that survived one of the darkest days in American history.
As the 25th anniversary approaches, the administration’s message is clear: The victims will be remembered, the heroes will be honored and America will never forget.
