Former Presidents Gather at Ground Zero, Mark 25 Years Since 9/11 Attacks

Former presidents Joe Biden, Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton attended the September 11 memorial ceremony at the World Trade Center site in New York on Friday. Video footage captured the former commanders-in-chief mingling with attendees and waving to crowds before the commemoration officially began shortly before 9 a.m. ET.

The somber gathering marked exactly twenty-five years since hijacked planes struck the twin towers, the Pentagon, and a Pennsylvania field in the deadliest terror attack on U.S. soil. Attendees observed a series of moments of silence corresponding to the exact times the planes struck, the towers fell, and the attacks unfolded across the country.

"The national memorial and museum scheduled moments of silence to mark the times when each tower was struck, when each tower fell, and the times corresponding to the attacks at the Pentagon and Pennsylvania," organizers stated.

Political analysts noted the significant bipartisan presence in New York, which also featured Vice President JD Vance, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, and New York Governor Kathy Hochul. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump participated in a separate memorial service at the Pentagon to remember the lives lost in Virginia.

Federal security agencies maintained heightened alert levels across major U.S. metropolitan areas throughout the day as millions of citizens tuned into broadcasts honoring nearly three thousand victims. Memorial events concluded with the traditional reading of the names of the deceased by family members at each attack site.