Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump met at a ceremony at ground zero in New York City, honoring the lives lost during the 9/11 terrorist attacks, hours after their debate on Tuesday night.
The two shook hands and briefly exchanged words before the ceremony began. President Joe Biden, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) were also at the ceremony.
President Biden, Vice President Harris, former President Trump, Sen. JD Vance and Former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg at 9/11 Ceremony in New York. pic.twitter.com/nK19YKABjB
— CSPAN (@cspan) September 11, 2024
Trump and Biden also briefly exchanged words prior to the ceremony, marking the first time they’ve seen each other in person since their own debate on June 27, though they spoke after Trump’s assassination attempt on July 13. The debate Tuesday night in Philadelphia was the first time Harris and Trump met each other in person.
The 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, killed 2,977 people.
The ceremony at ground zero features the reading of the names of the victims of the terrorist attacks and the moments of silence at 8:46 a.m. and 9:03 a.m. to mark when each of the hijacked flights, American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175, respectively, hit each of the World Trade Center towers in 2001.
During the ceremony, Bloomberg divided Biden and Harris from Trump and Vance.
Harris is scheduled to attend services at the site where United Airlines Flight 93 crashed near Shanksville and at the Pentagon. Trump is expected to visit the memorial service in Pennsylvania.
Harris, in a lengthy statement issued Wednesday, declared the anniversary of the terrorist attacks “a day of solemn remembrance as we mourn the souls we lost in a heinous terrorist attack” while also vowing that “we will never forget.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
“On September 11, 2001, terrorists sought to attack and destroy our way of life — our democracy, our freedoms, and everything we hold dear as Americans. In that endeavor, they failed. In the days that followed, we were all reminded that unity is possible in America. Together, we made clear we will not bend or break in the face of terrorism,” Harris said.
Trump declared 9/11 a “very, very sad, horrible day” while speaking on Fox News’s Fox and Friends on Wednesday.