US President Donald Trump marked the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks at the Pentagon on Friday, remembering the nearly 3,000 people killed by al-Qaida hijackers and reflecting on how the attacks reshaped America’s national security and foreign policy.
“That’s why we fight today. We don’t have a choice. “We were all New Yorkers that day. Every one of us. We were all New Yorkers. We were all family. Friday’s ceremony marked the second consecutive year Trump has observed the anniversary at the Pentagon. Vice President JD Vance was in New York for this year’s observance, where he joined former presidents and other dignitaries.
The New York-born president had attended the ground zero commemoration in 2024. Administration officials also gathered in Shanksville to honour the passengers and crew who died when United Airlines Flight 93 crashed after passengers attempted to stop the hijackers.
In his address, Trump recalled several of the victims and said the attacks had strengthened the country’s determination to defend itself. “We will never, ever forget,” Trump said. “In those harrowing days after the attacks, we saw the authentic spirit of our nation,” Trump said. Hegseth went further, presenting the Iran war as part of the broader fight against a regime he said had threatened the US for decades. The defence secretary said the US military had “laid waste to the world’s most prolific state sponsor of terrorism” during the conflict.
