JD Vance Says No ‘Security Concern’ Behind Trump Skipping Ground Zero 9/11 Ceremony
Vice President JD Vance says there is no special security concern behind President Donald Trump’s decision to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks at the Pentagon instead of Ground Zero in New York City.
Trump’s absence from the Manhattan ceremony has drawn attention as the nation prepares to mark a quarter-century since the attacks that killed 2,977 people.
“I’m not aware of any special security concern that’s keeping the president away,” Vance said Thursday when asked whether threats against Trump played a role in the decision.
Trump has faced heightened security concerns, including threats linked to Iran, prompting speculation about whether safety considerations contributed to the change in his schedule.
The president had reportedly been expected to attend the Ground Zero ceremony as recently as mid-August before his plans changed.
Instead, Trump will participate in a remembrance ceremony at the Pentagon, where American Airlines Flight 77 crashed on Sept. 11, 2001, killing 184 people at the building and aboard the aircraft.
Vance will represent the administration at Ground Zero, joining other current and former government officials for the annual commemoration.
Former President Joe Biden and former first lady Jill Biden are also expected to attend the New York ceremony.
Vance joked about the prospect of spending time with Biden, telling reporters he was looking forward to having some “intense intellectual conversations” with the former president.
The vice president quickly clarified that he was joking before saying he genuinely looked forward to seeing Biden and wished him well.
Trump’s decision to attend the Pentagon ceremony comes after reports that organizers at Ground Zero would not allow him to deliver remarks.
The National September 11 Memorial & Museum has maintained a longstanding policy prohibiting elected officials from delivering political speeches during the annual remembrance ceremony.
Since 2012, the focus of the Ground Zero event has remained on the victims and their families, with relatives reading aloud the names of those killed in the attacks.
The ceremony also includes six moments of silence marking critical moments from Sept. 11, including when the World Trade Center towers were struck and collapsed, the attack on the Pentagon and the crash of Flight 93 in Pennsylvania.
The 9/11 Memorial & Museum has made clear that Trump remains welcome at the ceremony despite his decision to commemorate the anniversary elsewhere.
The organization noted that presidents from both parties have attended over the years while respecting the ceremony’s tradition of keeping political speeches out of the program.
Trump’s schedule is particularly busy around the anniversary. He is expected to attend the Republican Party’s midterm convention in Dallas immediately before Sept. 11 and travel to Ireland shortly afterward.
Whatever prompted the change in plans, Vance is dismissing speculation that an unusual security threat is keeping Trump away from Manhattan. The president will instead mark the historic anniversary at another site directly attacked on 9/11, while Vance attends the solemn ceremony at Ground Zero.