9/11 widow stares former presidents in the eye after 25 years of pain: 'You protected enemies'

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Terry Strada, whose husband Tom was killed in the 9/11 attacks, delivered an emotional address at Ground Zero on Friday as the United States marked 25 years since the tragedy.

With former presidents and Vice President JD Vance among those gathered for the anniversary ceremony, Strada revisited the families’ decades-long demand for accountability over Saudi Arabia’s alleged links to the attacks and addressed the political leaders in attendance.

9/11 widow confronts former presidents

Strada did not shy away from the presence of the former presidents as she spoke about the unresolved questions that have followed the attacks for a quarter-century.

Former Presidents George W Bush and Joe Biden were among those sitting at the ceremony, alongside Barack Obama and Bill Clinton.

Strada, after remembering her husband Tom, turned her attention toward what she described as a long history of disappointment from successive US administrations.

“My husband, Tom Strada. You are missed more with each year that passes. But how can it be 25 years and still we have no justice for the role that Saudi Arabia played in your killing,” she said.

Strada accused successive administrations of choosing to shield Saudi Arabia rather than fully siding with relatives of those killed on September 11.

She said the families had spent years pressing for answers about the kingdom’s alleged role and had faced repeated obstacles in their pursuit of accountability.

She then accused successive administrations of failing to act on what the families had been promised.

“They broke promises both public and private. It has been one betrayal after another,” she added.

Terry Strada puts faith in Trump administration

As Terry Strada confronted the former leaders and cried betrayal, she expressed hope in the current administration, adding, “President Trump can still change that.”

While she sharply criticized the record of previous administrations, she made it clear that she still believed the current administration could take a different approach.

Strada then directed her appeal toward Vance, who was representing the Trump administration at the Ground Zero ceremony.

“Tell the Saudis to stop lying. Tell them that if they want to be friends with the USA, they cannot continue to deny all of this, all of the pain, all of the destruction that we have all been suffering through,” she said.

Turning directly to the vice president, she asked him to take the families’ concerns back to Trump.

“Vice President Vance, thank you for being here today. Please carry that message back. Stand with the families. Stand with the survivors. Stand with Americans,” Strada said.

Strada’s address came during a solemn ceremony at the National September 11 Memorial in lower Manhattan marking the 25th anniversary of the attacks.

Families of the nearly 3,000 people killed in the September 11, 2001, attacks gathered to remember their loved ones, while political leaders and dignitaries joined the commemoration.