Trump rejects report on 9/11 absence, says he'd 'love not to speak'

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump pushed back against a report about his planned absence from Ground Zero on the 25th anniversary of 9/11, saying he would “love not to speak” at the ceremony and that he's going to be at the Pentagon.

The New York Times reported that Trump was not planning to attend because politicians have been barred from speaking at the annual event since 2012.

Trump addressed the report late Friday, August 28, while speaking to reporters at Joint Base Andrews, where he said he would instead mark the anniversary at the Pentagon.

Trump rejects the reported reason

Trump disputed The NY Times’ account on Truth Social, saying the report made up a reason for his planned absence from the World Trade Center site.

Trump wrote that he “would love not to speak, because I’m speaking all the time, and this is a day to remember the victims, and their beautiful family members.”

He also described the report as “more Corrupt News” and said, “I’ve been to New York many times over the years, and no one ever speaks. It’s a ‘solemn ceremony!’”

The annual Ground Zero ceremony has banned politicians from speaking since 2012, according to the report Trump was responding to. 

The 25th anniversary will commemorate the attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people.

A reporter asked Trump why he was not planning to be in New York for the occasion.

“Because I’m going to the Pentagon,” Trump shouted to the press at Joint Base Andrews, Friday evening.

White House rejects snubbing claim

The White House also rejected the characterization that Trump was snubbing the Ground Zero ceremony.

After TMZ posted on X that Trump was “snubbing” the ceremony, White House Communications Director Steven Cheung responded, “FAKE NEWS.”

White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly called Trump a “proud New Yorker” and said he had spoken about his experiences watching the attacks unfold.

“On the 25th anniversary of this tragic day, the President will remember those who were killed at the hands of evil t********s, honor their loved ones, and pay tribute to the brave first responders who put their lives on the line to rescue their fellow Americans,” Kelly said in a statement to Fox News.

A White House official also said that Vice President JD Vance was still traveling to New York and that all three attack sites would be represented by administration officials.

The three sites are the World Trade Center in Manhattan, the Pentagon, and the Pennsylvania location where United Airlines Flight 93 crashed.

Trump has used the Pentagon for prior anniversaries

Trump also chose to speak at the Pentagon for the 24th anniversary of 9/11 last year, though he later traveled to New York City to attend a Yankees game, as per Fox News.

He last attended the Ground Zero ceremony in 2024, when he was the Republican presidential nominee. He appeared there alongside then-President Joe Biden and then-Vice President Kamala Harris, the outlet said.

Trump did not attend the Ground Zero ceremony during his first term either. 

He spoke at the Pentagon in 2017, then alternated in later years between commemorations at the Pentagon and the Pennsylvania crash site, as per the report.

The September 11 attacks began when hijackers crashed three commercial airliners into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Hijackers also seized Flight 93, but passengers fought back before the plane crashed in Pennsylvania.

The attacks remain the deadliest in the nation’s history and prompted the invasion of Afghanistan and the broader War on t****r, which later included the US-led invasion of Iraq.