The United States commemorated the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on Friday, with ceremonies held in New York, Virginia and Pennsylvania honoring nearly 3,000 people killed and thousands more who later died of related causes.
President Donald Trump led a commemoration at the Pentagon, while Vice President JD Vance attended the memorial at the World Trade Center site in New York. All four living former US presidents — George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and Joe Biden — joined their spouses at the Ground Zero ceremony, along with former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
At the Pentagon, Trump vowed never to forget the losses suffered that day and honored what he described as the selfless actions the attacks inspired. He also used the occasion to justify ongoing military operations.
"Today we renew the sacred oath we first swore in their names a quarter-century ago," Trump told the crowd. "We will never, ever forget. That's why we fight today."
Trump also evoked the national unity that followed the attacks. "In those harrowing days after the attacks, we saw the authentic spirit of our nation," he said. "We were all New Yorkers that day, every one of us. But we were also all Americans, we were all family, we were all patriots."
He sought to link the "war on terror" that followed 9/11 with his current conflict with Iran, telling the crowd that the Islamic Republic "will never, ever have a nuclear weapon." Condoleezza Rice, who served as national security adviser on the day of the attacks, also attended the Pentagon ceremony alongside cabinet secretaries.
In New York, relatives spent nearly four hours reading the names of the dead at the World Trade Center memorial site. Cellist Yo-Yo Ma and other musicians performed in the background, punctuated by the peals of a ceremonial bell and moments of silence. The Brooklyn Youth Chorus sang the national anthem.
Families held up large photographs of those they lost. Speakers recited names alongside the milestones their loved ones never reached — grandchildren, great-grandchildren, a Knicks championship.
As in previous years, there were no formal speeches by politicians or dignitaries at the New York ceremony. The event has historically served as a nonpartisan moment of unity. That was visible again on Friday, as fierce political opponents sat together quietly, among them former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and current Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
Some family members did voice opinions. Terry Strada, national chairperson of 9/11 Families United, whose husband Tom died in the Twin Towers, ended her name recitation with a pointed message.
"You are missed more with each year that passes," Strada said. "But how can it be 25 years and still we have no justice for the role that Saudi Arabia played in your murder?"
"For 25 years, administration after administration, including leaders in front of us today, chose to protect the Saudis instead of standing with the 9/11 families," she added. Her remarks drew applause from the audience.
The majority of the 9/11 hijackers were Saudi nationals, and planning was led by al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden, a scion of a prominent Saudi family. Saudi officials have repeatedly denied any government involvement in the attacks. The 9/11 Commission Report, published in 2004, found no evidence that the Saudi government as an institution or senior Saudi officials individually funded al-Qaeda.
The final speaker at the New York ceremony, Michael Massaroli Jr., who lost his father in the attacks, called for continued unity. "We have seen a medley of people come up today, of all races, all religions, all creeds," he said. "And this tragedy is just that — it's a tragedy."
This year, a seventh ceremonial bell was rung for the first time, to commemorate the thousands who have since died from illnesses linked to dust and smoke from the towers' collapse. US health officials say those disease-related deaths now number more than three times the nearly 3,000 lives lost on the day of the attacks.
Commemorations were also held in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, at the Flight 93 National Memorial, where the fourth hijacked plane crashed after passengers fought back against the attackers.
On Friday evening, two beams of light illuminated the Manhattan sky as part of the annual Tribute in Light, while other landmarks across New York state were lit in blue in commemoration.
