President Donald Trump on Tuesday honored the victims of the September 11, 2001, terror attacks and the first responders who responded during a ceremony held on the Ellipse near the White House, as the nation prepares to mark the 25th anniversary of the attacks.
The event drew roughly 1,500 attendees, including first responders from New York, Washington, DC, and Pennsylvania, along with service members, Gold Star families, and families of fallen first responders. Members of the Tunnel to Towers Foundation also participated in the ceremony.
A centerpiece of the event was a 21-foot steel beam recovered from the wreckage of the World Trade Center's South Tower. The beam, weighing between 13,900 and 16,900 pounds according to different accounts, was displayed alongside photographs of first responders who died in the attacks. The photographs included members of the Fire Department of New York, the New York Police Department, three New York state court officers, and an FBI agent who was recently added to the memorial list for the first time.
Attendees and speakers noted that the weather conditions on Tuesday—clear skies overhead—resembled those on September 11, 2001.
During his remarks, Trump honored those who ran toward danger during the attacks. He also used the ceremony to address some of his political priorities, including arguing for his war with Iran and comparing the danger faced by officers during 9/11 to the threat of communism, which he characterized as one of his frequent criticisms of the Democratic Party ahead of the midterms.
Trump departed the event to cheers from service members present at the ceremony.