NEW YORK:
President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and former President Donald Trump made a rare joint appearance on Wednesday at the New York City memorial site commemorating the 11 September 2001 attacks, which killed almost 3,000 people.
Despite the contentious debate the previous evening, Harris, the Democratic candidate for president, and Trump, her Republican rival in the 5 November US election, briefly exchanged pleasantries before participating in the event. Senator JD Vance, Trump’s running mate, also attended.
There were no formal speeches at the “ground zero” site, where the World Trade Center towers were brought down by planes. Instead, family members of the victims recited the names of their loved ones who were killed 23 years ago.
The ceremony honoured the Al-Qaeda-led attacks, which saw two planes flown into the World Trade Centre, one into the Pentagon, and a fourth crash in Pennsylvania after passengers intervened.
A young boy with red hair emotionally said, “Richard J. O’Connor. We will always love and miss you,” as he remembered his grandfather, a victim of the attacks. The event featured a procession with bagpipes and drums, accompanied by honour guards from New York City’s fire and police departments, as well as moments of silence at the times the planes struck each location.
After the New York commemoration, Biden and Harris travelled to Shanksville, Pennsylvania, the site where United Flight 93 crashed after passengers overpowered the hijackers, preventing another target from being hit.
At a white marble memorial in the field, Biden gently placed his hand on a wreath in tribute to the 40 passengers and crew members who lost their lives. They were joined by Calvin Wilson, the brother-in-law of LeRoy Homer Jr., the co-pilot of Flight 93.
Biden and Harris then visited the Shanksville Volunteer Fire Department, where they paused at another memorial nearby, featuring 40 flags waving in the wind.
Biden spoke of the need for bipartisan unity and exchanged hats with a Trump supporter, which led to a viral photo. The Trump campaign later shared the image on social media, writing, “Thanks for the support, Joe.”
Biden and Harris concluded their day by attending a memorial at the Pentagon, where they laid a wreath decorated in red, white, and blue, bowed their heads, and stood silently as “Taps” was played.
Reflecting on the attacks, Biden said in a statement: “On this day 23 years ago, terrorists believed they could shatter our will. They were wrong. In our darkest moments, we found unity and light, standing together to defend our country and support one another.”
Trump, who visited the Pennsylvania memorial on the same day, told Fox News, “It was a very sad, horrible day. Nothing like it has ever happened before.”
Earlier in the day, Biden had issued a proclamation honouring the victims of the attacks and the hundreds of thousands of Americans who enlisted in the military in the aftermath. He expressed gratitude to the “9/11 Generation,” highlighting their service in Afghanistan, Iraq, and other conflict zones, as well as the eventual capture and death of Osama bin Laden, the mastermind behind the attacks.