Bereaved families, dignitaries, and first responders came together in New York City on Wednesday to observe the 23rd anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, which claimed nearly 3,000 lives.
Vice President Kamala Harris and Donald Trump attended the solemn commemoration, just hours after their intense presidential debate in Philadelphia on Tuesday night.
President Joe Biden, who ended his re-election campaign in July following a poor debate performance against Trump, accompanied Harris to the event. Harris is now the Democratic nominee for president in the upcoming November election.
Biden and Harris planned visits to the three key sites where the hijacked planes crashed: the World Trade Center in New York, the Pentagon near Washington, D.C., and a field in Pennsylvania. Trump, along with his running mate JD Vance, also attended the New York memorial, where he and Harris shared a brief handshake and exchanged tight smiles before joining the ceremony.
Although the 9/11 memorials are typically non-partisan, this year’s commemoration carried an added layer of tension, with the election approaching in just eight weeks. Many were watching for any interaction between Harris and Trump.
On Tuesday night, before the debate, Harris had approached Trump and introduced herself, initiating their first in-person handshake.
At the memorial on Wednesday, after another handshake and brief conversation, Harris positioned herself to Biden’s right, with former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg standing between Biden and Trump. Trump’s running mate, JD Vance, stood to Trump’s left. Notably absent from the central group was New York Mayor Eric Adams, whose administration is currently under federal investigation.
Harris traveled to New York shortly after polls declared her the winner of Tuesday’s debate, reinforcing her position as the Democratic nominee against Trump.
At the World Trade Center site, no political speeches were scheduled. Families of the victims took turns reading the names of those who died in the attacks.
Following the New York ceremony, Biden and Harris were set to fly to Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where passengers of United Flight 93 thwarted the hijackers’ attempt to strike another target. The day was to conclude with a visit to the Pentagon memorial.
In total, nearly 3,000 lives were lost in the attacks, with over 2,750 in New York, 184 at the Pentagon, and 40 in Shanksville. These numbers exclude the 13 hijackers who also perished.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre spoke to reporters on Air Force One, saying, “We can only imagine the heartbreak and pain the 9/11 families and survivors have felt every day for the past 23 years. We will always remember and honor those who were stolen from us too soon.”
Biden issued a proclamation paying tribute to those lost, as well as the many Americans who volunteered for military service in the aftermath of the attacks.
He emphasized, “We owe the 9/11 generation of patriots a debt of gratitude we can never fully repay,” referring to those who served in Afghanistan, Iraq, and other conflict zones, as well as the killing of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden.
Congressional leaders also awarded the Congressional Gold Medal posthumously to 13 service members killed in the 2021 Kabul airport suicide bombing during the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Although the New York ceremony is officially non-political, underlying political tensions remain, particularly as the election nears.
Melissa Tarasiewicz, who lost her father, New York City firefighter Allan Tarasiewicz, emphasized the solemn nature of the day. “It’s not political,” she said. “You’re around people feeling the grief, feeling proud, sad—it’s about what these loved ones meant to you.”
Increasingly, the names of those lost are being read by children and young adults born after the attacks, highlighting a generational shift in the commemorations.
One such tribute last year was from Annabella Sanchez, who spoke of her grandfather, Edward Joseph Papa. “Even though I never got to meet you, I feel like I’ve known you forever,” she said. “We will always remember and honor you every day. We love you, Grandpa Eddie.”
This phrase—“I never got to meet you”—echoes through the generations of 9/11 families. Last year, 28 young people born after the attacks participated in reading the names. Many are the children of victims whose partners were pregnant at the time, while others are nieces, nephews, or grandchildren.
As this new generation carries the torch of remembrance, it ensures that the legacy of 9/11 will live on, even among those who have no first-hand memory of the events.
“It’s like passing the torch,” said 13-year-old Allan Aldycki, who read the names of his grandfather, Allan Tarasiewicz, and others.