On Friday, along with much of the nation, President Trump observed the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. In fact, it was at the Pentagon that President Trump chose to deliver remarks commemorating this date, which shall live in infamy.
President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump listened as the names of the fallen were read aloud before the president spoke.
President Donald Trump observed Friday’s 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks at a ceremony at the Pentagon by commemorating the lives lost when al-Qaida militants hijacked planes and killed nearly 3,000 people in three locations and upended American foreign policy and national security.
Trump and First Lady Melania Trump listened as the names of the 184 people killed at the Pentagon that day were read aloud, a bell tolling between each. In his remarks, Trump recounted the stories of several of the victims and insisted that the moment has led to a fortification of American resolve.
“We will never, ever forget,” Trump said. “That’s why we fight today. We don’t have a choice.”
Here are a few highlights from the president's remarks.
First, on the attack itself and the aftermath:
.@POTUS: "We cannot forget that moment of immense and horrible evil that took place in this world, bent on the destruction of all that is good. But this morning, we also remember how America responded to that wickedness. On days like 9/11, we learn what a country is truly made… pic.twitter.com/yCP95lkxeE
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) September 11, 2026
The president said:
We cannot forget that moment of immense and horrible evil that took place in this world, bent on the destruction of all that is good. But this morning, we also remember how America responded to that wickedness. On days like 9/11, we learn what a country is truly made of. We're learning right now what we're made of. We have to be strong, and we have to be smart. And Americans are made of goodness, a spirit that can transcend any earthly force. And that's what we're doing. Better than anyone else has ever been able to do it. Because we are sustained by a supreme strength, far more powerful than steel alone. Aboard Flight 93 in the skies over Pennsylvania, a brave flight attendant boiled water to fight back. A loving father from New Jersey, Todd Beamer, asked a telephone operator in Illinois to join him in the Lord's Prayer. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven. And then he said his last words, "Let's roll." Today, as we remember the many lives lost on 9/11, we also give thanks for the countless lives saved by the immortal heroes of Flight 93.
Fair points all; we perhaps focus too much on the evil that was wrought on that day to remember the shining heroes that this evil called forth; Todd Beamer and the passengers and crew of Flight 93, the first responders in the World Trade Center, and many, many more.
Then, the president spoke on moving forward and on what it means to be American:
.@POTUS: No one can ever prepare for a day like 9/11 — but we can always choose to be the kind of nation the world saw in those days after. We can raise our children to know that their country is good, that their fathers are brave, and that our flag is a symbol of justice and… pic.twitter.com/CWlnfaJ5wE
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) September 11, 2026
The president said:
No one can ever prepare for a day like 9/11. But we can always choose to be the kind of nation the world saw in the days after. We can build families, like the Stackpoles; we can raise our children to know that their country is good, that their fathers are brave, and that our flag is a symbol of justice and freedom. And we can be a nation whose heroes are not fanatics for an abstract cause. They don't even know, really, what they're doing. But the kind who race into buildings to give their lives on a Tuesday morning, for strangers they've never met. People they didn't know. Gave their lives. And we can fill the lives of our children with light and love that will sustain them against any trial and transcend any darkness, whenever that darkness may come. As Scripture tells us, the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. September 11th reminded us of the terrible power of hate. The 25 years since have shown us the even greater power of the American spirit to endure and prevail and to win. And today, our country is stronger than it was ever before. It has never been as strong as it is right now. Because of that spirit, when future generations come here in 25, or 100, or 250 years from now, they will stand in a nation that is free and unyielding in the face of evil. And they will still honor the heroes of 9/11, 2001, who no age will erase from the memory of time. It will never, ever be forgotten. It will never be forgotten. And we can never forget.
That's the hope we should all take away from this: We can never forget this day, never forget what happened 25 years ago in New York, at the Pentagon, and in a field in Pennsylvania. We must also never forget what happened 14 years ago, in a Libyan city called Benghazi. And we must never forget what happened in Utah, a year ago on Thursday. We forget these things at our peril, and we are seriously failing future generations if we fail to communicate what has happened on these dates, these benchmarks in history.
That, among all else, may be one of the primary lessons of this day.
Editor’s Note: Thanks to President Trump and his administration’s bold leadership, we are once again respected on the world stage, and our enemies are being put on notice.
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