Trump Honors 9/11 Victims at Ellipse Ceremony Featuring World Trade Center Steel, Pledges to ‘Never Forget’/ TezzBuzz/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ President Donald Trump honored the victims and first responders of the Sept. 11 attacks during a commemorative ceremony at the Ellipse. The event featured a 21-foot steel beam recovered from the World Trade Center’s South Tower as part of the Steel Across America tour. Trump awarded Welles Crowther the Presidential Medal of Freedom and announced an upcoming Coast Guard tribute to fallen firefighter Jeffrey Palazzo.
Quick Look
- Trump pledged to “never forget” the victims of Sept. 11, 2001.
- The ceremony took place at the Ellipse near the White House.
- A nearly 17,000-pound World Trade Center beam was displayed.
- The beam has traveled nationally with the Steel Across America tour.
- Welles Crowther received the Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously.
- Crowther became known as the “man in the red bandanna.”
- A Coast Guard cutter will be commissioned in Jeffrey Palazzo’s honor.
- Approximately 150 first responders attended.
- Trump is scheduled to attend a separate Pentagon commemoration Friday.
Deep Look
Trump opens week of 9/11 commemorations
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump honored those killed in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks during a Tuesday ceremony at the Ellipse, describing the day as one “etched forever into the memories of Americans.”
The event began a week of observances marking 25 years since the attacks. Commemorations are scheduled to culminate Friday with ceremonies at several sites, including the Pentagon, where Trump is expected to appear.
The president repeatedly pledged that the United States would “never forget” the victims, survivors and first responders.
World Trade Center beam displayed at Ellipse
The Tunnel to Towers Foundation organized the event around a 21-foot steel beam recovered from the South Tower of New York’s World Trade Center.
The beam weighs nearly 17,000 pounds and traveled around the country for several months as the central feature of the foundation’s Steel Across America tour.
The nationwide journey began in New York in May and included visits to landmarks, military locations, sporting events and public spaces. The foundation organized the tour to commemorate the anniversary and introduce younger generations to the history of the attacks.
“This battered piece of steel here today on the Ellipse is a reminder that America is blessed with a strength no fire can consume, no evil can conquer and no terror can destroy,” Trump said.
Beam will retrace Stephen Siller’s route
The steel beam is scheduled to return to New York for a procession Friday that will retrace the route taken by firefighter Stephen Siller.
Siller, who was off duty when the attacks occurred, traveled toward the World Trade Center to assist the emergency response and died when the towers collapsed.
His brother, Frank Siller, serves as chairman and CEO of the Tunnel to Towers Foundation.
“This steel beam represents the best of our country,” Frank Siller said. “It’s important to recognize that the heroism that was exhibited that fateful day was nothing short of incredible.”
Trump honors firefighter Jeffrey Palazzo
Trump paid tribute to Jeffrey Palazzo, a New York City firefighter and Coast Guard reservist who died responding to the attacks.
Palazzo was assigned to Rescue Company 5 on Staten Island. The president said the Coast Guard would commission a new fast-response cutter bearing Palazzo’s name during a weekend ceremony in New York.
The service accepted delivery of the Jeffrey Palazzo, its 63rd fast-response cutter, in Key West, Florida, on June 11.
Medal of Freedom awarded to Welles Crowther
Trump also posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Welles Crowther, the equities trader and volunteer firefighter remembered as the “man in the red bandanna.”
Crowther’s mother, Alison, and sister, Paige, accepted the award. The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the country’s highest civilian honor.
Crowther worked on the 104th floor of the South Tower. After the building was struck, witnesses reported seeing a man wearing a red bandanna guiding survivors toward the remaining usable stairway and repeatedly returning to assist others.
Survivors later identified Crowther as their rescuer. He was 24 when he died, and his red bandanna is preserved by the National September 11 Memorial & Museum.
First responders and lawmakers attend
Approximately 150 first responders from New York, Washington and Pennsylvania attended the Ellipse ceremony, according to Trump.
Cabinet officials and members of Congress were also present, including Republican Reps. Mike Lawler of New York and Dan Meuser of Pennsylvania. Meuser’s district is near Shanksville, where United Airlines Flight 93 crashed.
Trump also recognized Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who led Cantor Fitzgerald when the financial firm maintained offices at the World Trade Center.
Lutnick lost his brother, Gary, and more than 650 employees in the attacks.
“He’s done an amazing job,” Trump said. “He’s rebuilt Cantor Fitzgerald, and he’s given much of the profits to some of the families or the families of people who perished.”
Trump described Sept. 11 as one of the rare historical events that “divide time into really what came before” and what followed.
Most of his remarks focused on remembrance, heroism and national resilience. He briefly shifted into politics by warning that some Americans were moving in a “communistic way,” echoing his broader criticism of Democrats and democratic socialists.
The ceremony then returned its focus to the victims and first responderswith the recovered steel serving as the central symbol of the commemoration.
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