Biden, Harris and Trump visit Sept 11 sites to honour victims
1. Biden issues a proclamation honouring people died in attacks as Trump, Harris observe anniversary together
**NEW YORK:** On Wednesday, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris joined former President Donald Trump and his 2024 running mate, JD Vance, to mark the 23rd anniversary of the September 11, 2001, attacks at the New York City site where hijacked planes crashed, claiming nearly 3,000 lives.
The ceremony at Ground Zero, the site of the World Trade Center's twin towers, was solemn, with no scheduled remarks. Relatives of the victims began reading the names of those who perished.
Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, and Trump, her Republican rival, appeared together the morning after their heated debate in Philadelphia, with the November 5 presidential election just eight weeks away. They shook hands and exchanged words before joining the commemoration.
Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg was also present, standing between Biden and Trump.
Following their time in New York, Biden and Harris were set to travel to Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where United Flight 93 crashed after passengers fought the hijackers, preventing further destruction. They planned to then visit the Pentagon memorial, which was also targeted in the attacks.
In an early morning statement, Biden reflected on the day’s significance: "On this day 23 years ago, terrorists believed they could break our will and bring us to our knees. They were wrong. They will always be wrong. In the darkest of hours, we found light. And in the face of fear, we came together—to defend our country and to help one another."
Trump, who also planned to visit the memorial in Pennsylvania, told Fox News: "It was a very, very sad, horrible day. There's never been anything like it."
Earlier, Biden issued a proclamation honoring the victims of the attacks and the hundreds of thousands of Americans who volunteered for military service in the aftermath. "We owe these patriots of the 9/11 Generation a debt of gratitude that we can never fully repay," he said, highlighting their service in Afghanistan, Iraq, and other conflict zones, as well as the capture and killing of September 11 mastermind Osama bin Laden and his deputy.
On Tuesday, US congressional leaders awarded the Congressional Gold Medal posthumously to 13 service members killed in the August 26, 2021, suicide bombing at Kabul's airport during the chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan.
