All Four Former Presidents to Mark 9/11’s 25th Anniversary in New York as Trump Refuses to Attend

All four living former U.S. presidents — Joe Biden, Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton — are expected to unite at Ground Zero in New York City to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks, creating a rare bipartisan gathering at the site where nearly 3,000 people were killed a quarter-century ago. Their presence in lower Manhattan will place four generations of former American leadership together for one of the most significant commemorations since the attacks. Trump, however, will not join them in New York. Instead, the president plans to mark the anniversary at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, another site struck on September 11, where he is expected to deliver formal remarks while Vice President JD Vance represents the administration at Ground Zero.

The decision follows a dispute surrounding Trump's interest in speaking during the New York commemoration. According to reporting on preparations for the anniversary, Trump's team had conducted advance planning connected to a possible Ground Zero appearance before conveying a request for the president to deliver formal remarks. Memorial organizers rejected that possibility because political speeches are not permitted during the ceremony, after which Trump's plans shifted toward the Pentagon. Trump subsequently pushed back against suggestions that the speaking restriction caused his decision, maintaining publicly that he is comfortable «not to speak» at solemn commemorations. White House officials have also presented a separate explanation, pointing to security considerations surrounding the president and vice president appearing at the same crowded public venue. Vance is instead scheduled to attend the New York ceremony as the administration's representative.

A nonpartisan remembrance

The absence of a presidential speech at Ground Zero is not a restriction created specifically for Trump. The National September 11 Memorial & Museum has maintained a policy barring political speeches from the anniversary ceremony since 2012, an approach intended to preserve the memorial as a nonpartisan remembrance rather than a platform for elected officials. The centerpiece of the annual gathering remains the reading of the names of the 2,977 victims killed in the September 11 attacks, with the ceremony structured around victims, survivors, first responders and their families instead of political addresses. That distinction carries additional significance for the 25th anniversary, when Biden, Obama, Bush and Clinton will all appear without delivering traditional political speeches. Their collective presence will instead serve as a symbolic display of continuity and national remembrance across party lines.

The 25th anniversary carries exceptional historical weight because September 11, 2001, is increasingly shifting from lived experience into history for a new generation of Americans. Twenty-five years later, millions of younger adults have no personal memory of the attacks, making commemorations, survivor accounts and educational efforts increasingly important to preserving what happened. For Americans who witnessed the attacks and particularly for New Yorkers who experienced the destruction firsthand, the anniversary is expected to revive memories of the planes striking the World Trade Center, the collapse of the Twin Towers and the enormous rescue and recovery operation that followed. The gathering of Biden, Obama, Bush and Clinton at Ground Zero will therefore provide a powerful visual of former leaders from both parties setting politics aside to remember the victims at a landmark national moment.

Trump's decision to commemorate the anniversary at the Pentagon nevertheless means the sitting president will still participate in official September 11 remembrance ceremonies, just separately from the unprecedented gathering of his four living predecessors in New York. The Pentagon was struck by American Airlines Flight 77 on September 11, making Arlington another central location in the nationwide commemorations. There, Trump is expected to deliver a speech honoring victims, first responders and others affected by the attacks, while Vance attends the Ground Zero ceremony. The competing explanations surrounding Trump's New York absence, however, have added a political dimension to preparations. Trump disputes reporting that the refusal of a speaking role drove his change of plans, while his administration has emphasized security considerations involving the president and vice president attending the same densely populated event.

The names of the 2,977 victims

For families gathering at Ground Zero, however, the anniversary ceremony is designed to remain centered on those who were lost rather than on whichever political leaders are present. The long-standing prohibition on political speeches means Biden, Obama, Bush and Clinton will participate under the same restrictions that would have applied to Trump, preserving the uninterrupted focus on the names of the 2,977 victims. Their joint appearance will nevertheless make the 2026 ceremony extraordinary, bringing together every living former president while the sitting president commemorates September 11 elsewhere. The unusual split has already generated debate over whether politics has intruded on what should be a moment of national unity, but the fundamental purpose of the anniversary remains unchanged: remembering the victims, honoring survivors and first responders, and ensuring that the events of September 11 continue to be remembered 25 years later.

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