Americans commemorated the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, with a series of events and tributes in New York, Washington, and other cities across the country.
President Donald Trump was not in New York and gave a speech yesterday morning at the Pentagon. “September 11 reminded us of the terrible power of hatred,” he said. “The 25 years since then have shown us the even greater power of the American spirit to endure, prevail, and overcome.”
“And today, our country is stronger than ever. It has never been as strong as it is now,” Trump added.
The president dedicated a moment of his speech to acknowledging the U.S. troops currently at war. “We pay tribute to the members of the Armed Forces who are working right now to ensure that the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism — the Islamic Republic of Iran — never ever possesses a nuclear weapon.”
Meanwhile, Condoleezza Rice, who served as National Security Advisor during the George W. Bush administration, stated at the Pentagon ceremony that she still feels deep pain because “those of us in power that day did not see the nature of the danger in time to prevent the September 11 attack.”
“I will always carry a deep personal remorse for the pain you, the families of the fallen, still feel, and for the trauma our country suffered,” she added.
Meanwhile, in New York, the ceremony at what is known as Ground Zero was attended by former presidents Joe Biden, Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton.
Also present were Vice President JD Vance, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, and New York Governor Kathy Hochul.
Mamdani was seen shaking hands with former Mayor Rudy Giuliani — who led the city during the September 11 attacks — at the memorial ceremony. Recently, Giuliani stated that he was “offended” by Mamdani’s attendance at the event, questioning his presence due to his Muslim faith.
Although the ceremony has always been marked by moments of silence at key points in the timeline of the attack, this year the organizers added another moment to honor those who were exposed to the toxic dust clouds released by the collapse of the Twin Towers and who later died of cancer and other illnesses. This is because there are still doubts about how many people developed health problems related to the dust.
On the other hand, a recent Gallup poll revealed that the majority of American adults, 55%, have “a lot” or “quite a bit” of confidence that the U.S. government will protect its citizens from future acts of terrorism.
That confidence peaked at 88% in polls conducted in the days following the attacks and has slightly declined over the past 25 years. Gallup also found that 37% of adults say they are “very” or “somewhat” worried that they or a family member will become victims of terrorism.
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