Trump, Harris and Biden on hand in NYC to mark 23 years since attacks in which nearly 3,000 killed; several speakers decry recently revoked plea deal with 9/11 mastermind
New York, USA (DT/AP) — On Wednesday, as the U.S. commemorated the 9/11 anniversary, relatives of victims called for accountability in front of the presidential candidates, adding a layer of election-season politics to the somber occasion.
In a notable scene, President Joe Biden, former President Donald Trump, and Vice President Kamala Harris gathered at Ground Zero just hours after Trump and Harris had their first debate. Trump and Biden, who notably did not attend Trump’s inauguration, shared a handshake facilitated by former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
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The political rivals stood mere feet apart—Biden and Bloomberg positioned between them—during the emotional hours-long reading of victims’ names. Trump was accompanied by his running mate, Senator JD Vance of Ohio.
September 11, 2001 attacks, September 11, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
NEW YORK (AP) — With presidential candidates looking on, some 9/11 victims’ relatives appealed to them Wednesday for accountability as the US marked an anniversary laced with election-season politics.
In a remarkable tableau, President Joe Biden, former president Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris stood together at ground zero just hours after Trump and Harris faced off in their first-ever debate. Trump and Biden — the successor whose inauguration Trump skipped — shook hands, and former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg appeared to facilitate a handshake between Harris and Trump.
Then the campaign rivals stood only a few feet (meters) apart, Biden and Bloomberg between them, as the hourslong reading of victims’ names began. At Trump’s side was his running mate, Senator JD Vance of Ohio.
The image was one of putting politics aside at this year’s solemn commemoration of the hijacked-plane attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people on September 11, 2001. But some victims’ relatives, after reading out names, delivered political messages of their own.
“We are pleading for your help, but you ignore us,” Allison Walsh-DiMarzio said, directly challenging Trump and Harris to press Saudi Arabia about any official involvement in the attacks. Most of the 19 hijackers were Saudi, but the kingdom denies it was behind their plot.
“Which one of you will have the courage to be our hero? We deserve better,” Walsh-DiMarzio said. She’s a daughter of 9/11 victim Barbara P. Walsh, an administrative assistant.
Joanne Barbara was one of multiple readers who spoke out against a now-revoked plea deal that military prosecutors struck with alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two fellow defendants.
“It has been 23 years, and the families deserve justice and accountability,” said the widow of Assistant Fire Chief Gerard A. Barbara.
Biden, on his last September 11 in office, and Harris paid respects Wednesday at all three 9/11 attack sites: ground zero, the Pentagon and a rural part of Pennsylvania.
The president, vice president — and, separately, Trump — laid wreaths Wednesday afternoon at the Flight 93 National Memorial near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Biden and Harris spoke with victims’ relatives and visited the local fire department; Trump and Vance went to a New York City firehouse earlier in the day.
The Flight 93 memorial stands where one of the hijacked planes crashed after crew members and passengers tried to storm the cockpit. Trump described the site as an “incredible place” in brief remarks from afar to reporters.
The attacks killed 2,977 people and left thousands of bereaved relatives and scarred survivors. The planes took down the World Trade Center’s twin towers and carved a gash in the Pentagon, the US military headquarters, where Biden and Harris laid a red, white and blue wreath Wednesday afternoon.
While many Americans may not observe 9/11 anniversaries anymore, “the men and women of the Department of Defense remember,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said earlier in the day.
The attacks altered US foreign policy, domestic security practices and the mindset of many Americans who had not previously felt vulnerable to foreign extremists.
The global impact of the 9/11 attacks was profound. Victims hailed from over 90 countries, and the U.S. responded with a “Global War on Terrorism,” leading to U.S.-led invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq that resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Afghans and Iraqis, as well as thousands of American troops.
On the anniversary of the attacks, communities nationwide hold events designated by Congress as Patriot Day and a National Day of Service and Remembrance. Thousands of Americans honor the day with volunteer work, including Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, who packed meals for those in need in St. Paul.
In the early years, presidents and other officials read poems, excerpts from the Declaration of Independence, and other texts at Ground Zero. However, since 2012, the National September 11 Memorial and Museum has limited the ceremony to relatives reading the names of the victims.
Korryn Bishop, who attended to remember her cousin John F. McDowell Jr., a finance worker, expressed her frustration. “If politicians truly care about what’s happening here, that’s great. But if they’re just seeking political gain, it’s upsetting,” she said.
Brandon Jones, whose cousin Jon Richard Grabowski, an insurance technology executive, was a victim, expressed relief that politicians were not on the podium. “This site should be about coming together to find solutions and peace, not a stage for political maneuvering and base-building,” Jones said.
“It’s my prayer that this wicked act called terrorism will never occur again,” Jacob Afuakwah said Wednesday. He lost his brother, Emmanuel Akwasi Afuakwah, a restaurant worker.
But many family members stick to tributes and personal reflections. Increasingly they come from children and young adults born after the attacks killed one of their relatives.
Thirteen-year-old twins Brady and Emily Henry read names to honor their uncle, firefighter Joseph Patrick Henry.
“We promise to continue telling your stories,” Emily Henry said, “and we’ll never let anyone forget all those lost on September 11.”