September 11th 2024.
On September 11, 2022, the United States is coming together to honor the 23rd anniversary of the devastating terrorist attacks that shook our nation to its core. President Joe Biden, along with Vice President Kamala Harris, former President Donald Trump, and Senator JD Vance, have all put their political differences aside for a moment to pay their respects to the lives lost on that tragic day.
All four leaders have gathered in New York City for a commemoration event at Ground Zero, the site where the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center once stood. Despite their recent heated debate, Trump and Harris managed to set aside their differences and even shook hands before the solemn ceremonies began. However, there was no interaction between Vance and Harris during the event.
After the ceremony at Ground Zero, Harris and Biden traveled to Shanksville, Pennsylvania to participate in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Flight 93 memorial. As Biden placed his hand on the wreath, the small group with him bowed their heads in a moment of silence. The President and Vice President also visited a local fire station that served as a hub for families affected by the attacks in 2001. At the station, they observed a cross made from scraps of the hijacked plane and Biden made the sign of the cross before meeting with some of the families.
Later in the day, both leaders will travel to the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia for another wreath-laying ceremony. Trump is also expected to make a separate trip to Shanksville on Wednesday, according to a source familiar with his plans. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, the Democratic nominee for Vice President, will also be attending a commemoration event, although the location has not been disclosed.
In past years, candidates have typically avoided politics on the anniversary of 9/11, but with the current toxic climate of this election cycle, it remains to be seen if and how each campaign will engage in politics on Wednesday.
On that fateful day in 2001, almost 3,000 lives were taken when four commercial airliners were hijacked by Islamist terrorists. Two planes were flown into the Twin Towers, one into the Pentagon, and the fourth crashed in a field in rural Pennsylvania after passengers bravely attempted to stop the hijackers.
Last year, Biden commemorated the 22nd anniversary with a ceremony involving American service members in Alaska. During that ceremony, he mistakenly claimed to have visited Ground Zero the next day, when in fact, he went nine days later. In 2021, the President and First Lady Jill Biden traveled to all three sites of the attacks, and were joined by former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama at the New York remembrance.
This is not the first time that candidates have had to navigate the anniversary of 9/11 during a heated election season. In the past, this day has been both a time for unity and a glimpse into the deep divisions within our country.
For the past three election cycles, Trump, a native New Yorker, has been the Republican nominee. Four years ago, both he and Biden were able to avoid each other while attending memorial events at Ground Zero. Later, they both traveled to Shanksville, but still managed to avoid crossing paths. Instead, Biden greeted then-Vice President Mike Pence with an elbow bump due to COVID-19 precautions.
In 2016, both Trump and Hillary Clinton attended a memorial event at Ground Zero to mark the 15th anniversary of 9/11. Clinton unexpectedly left the event after falling ill, which gave Trump an opportunity to question her health. She was later diagnosed with pneumonia. In 2012, then-President Obama and Mitt Romney did not cross paths, as Obama attended events at the sites of the attacks while Romney campaigned in Nevada. However, Romney refrained from criticizing his opponent, stating, "There is a time and a place for that, but this day is not it."
But perhaps the most memorable display of unity on the anniversary of 9/11 was in 2008, when Obama and Senator John McCain joined together to lay a wreath at Ground Zero, setting aside their bitter campaign for a few hours to honor the lives lost on that tragic day.
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