Leaders mark 9/11 amid several U.S. crises
Friday marked 19 years since nearly 3,000 people in the U.S. died from the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.
At the annual ceremony in New York held at the former site of The World Trade Center and where a memorial now stands, a rare show of political unity: Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and Vice President Mike Pence, both in masks, greeted each other by bumping elbows.
New York politicians like Governor Andrew Cuomo and Senator Chuck Schumer joined the families of those killed when two hijacked jets slammed into the Twin Towers, like Katie Murphy, whose brother Charlie was a bond trader at Cantor Fitzgerald.
"I was thinking how old my brother would be. He was 38. You know, engaged to be married, thinking about starting a family, saving up money for a house. And I was thinking about it. I was thinking, he'd be 57. You know, about that and you know, how much we miss him all the time.”
A similar ceremony was held at the Pentagon, the site of another fatal crash that day, and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, near the field where United Flight 93 went down when its passengers rose up against al Qaeda hijackers.
This year’s ceremonies come at a time of several deep national crises: nearly 192,000 people dead from the pandemic, devastating west coast wildfires, racial unrest and a polarizing political divide.
President Trump, in addressing those gathered in Shanksville, noted that America would “never relent in pursuing terrorists” and mentioned the U.S. killings of an Islamic State leader in 2019 and a top Iranian general in January, but made no mention of the killing of 9/11 mastermind Osama bin Laden under President Barack Obama and Vice President Biden.
Biden also visited Shanksville Friday, and told reporters that, despite the upcoming election, he would not talk about anything other than 9/11 in order to focus on the anniversary, adding, (quote), “It's a solemn day, and that's how we're going to keep it.”
