Trump recounts Flight 93 hero's final prayer before his defiant last words: 'Let's roll'
ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA: President Donald Trump, on Friday, September 11, paid tribute to the men and women of United Airlines Flight 93, recalling the extraordinary courage of passengers and crew who refused to surrender when attackers seized control of their aircraft on September 11, 2001.
During a 25th anniversary ceremony at the Pentagon, Trump highlighted the final moments of passenger Todd Beamer, including a prayer shared over the phone before the New Jersey father delivered the words that became a lasting symbol of American defiance.
On 9/11, ordinary Americans became immortal heroes.
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) September 11, 2026
Sandy Waugh Bradshaw, a flight attendant, boiled water to fight back.
Todd Beamer prayed the Lord’s Prayer, then led the charge with two words: “Let’s roll.”
The heroes of Flight 93 saved countless lives by giving their own.… pic.twitter.com/CugEltuuPL
Trump recalls Todd Beamer's extraordinary courage
Trump recalled Beamer as a 32-year-old father of three who found himself aboard the hijacked Boeing 757 as the September 11 attacks unfolded.
After passengers learned through telephone calls that other hijacked planes had already been used in the attacks, they understood the terrifying reality facing them.
Flight 93 was under the control of four hijackers, and the passengers realized that waiting passively could cost even more lives on the ground.
Trump described how Beamer reached out to an operator in Illinois and asked to join her in prayer.
“A loving father from New Jersey, Todd Beamer asked a telephone operator in Illinois to join him in the Lord’s Prayer,” Trump said.
Trump then recited the words Beamer prayed: “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on Earth as it is in heaven.”
What followed became one of the most enduring moments of the September 11 attacks.
“And then he said his last words: Let’s roll,” Trump recalled.
Forty voices. Forty lives. A story of courage that will never be forgotten.
— U.S. Department of the Interior (@Interior) September 11, 2026
Standing 93 feet tall at Flight 93 National Memorial, the Tower of Voices holds 40 wind chimes, each representing one of the passengers and crew members of United Airlines Flight 93.
When the wind… pic.twitter.com/pEEIpCawAd
The bravery of Flight 93's passengers
Twenty-five years ago, on September 11, 2001, the passengers and crew aboard Flight 93 realized that they were facing something far larger than a hijacking.
As they spoke with people on the ground, they learned about the attacks unfolding across the country and began piecing together the horrifying fate that could await them.
With that knowledge, several passengers decided they could not simply wait.
They joined together and launched an attempt to storm the cockpit and wrest control of the Boeing 757 from the hijackers.
The violent struggle was later captured on the aircraft’s flight recorder, preserving the final moments of their desperate fight.
Investigators heard the sounds of pounding, crashing and shouting as the passengers struggled with attackers. The assault continued until the final moments of the flight.
They never managed to regain control of the plane.
But their resistance changed what happened next. At 10.03 am, Flight 93 plunged into an empty field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
Investigators believe the hijackers were likely heading toward a major US government site, with the White House or Capitol among the possible targets.
Instead, the passengers’ decision to fight back ended the flight in rural Pennsylvania.
All 40 passengers and crew members aboard Flight 93 were killed.
Their final act of defiance has since become one of the most enduring stories of courage from September 11.
