On the 25th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks, four former presidents gathered at Ground Zero in New York City.
Bill Clinton was there.
George W. Bush was there.
Barack Obama was there.
Joe Biden was there.
Donald Trump was not.
Instead, the sitting president — and the only native New Yorker among America's five living presidents — spent the anniversary roughly 200 miles away at the Pentagon.
Trump did commemorate September 11. He attended the Pentagon memorial ceremony with first lady Melania Trump and delivered remarks honoring those killed in the attacks.
But his absence from Ground Zero created a striking image on one of the most significant anniversaries of September 11 since the attacks themselves.
Four former presidents, representing both political parties, stood together in Lower Manhattan.
The current president was somewhere else.
The 25th Anniversary
September 11, 2026 marked a quarter-century since terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners and attacked the United States.
Nearly 3,000 people were killed at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and aboard United Airlines Flight 93.
For New York City, the anniversary carries particular significance.
The annual ceremony at Ground Zero centers on the victims and their families. Their names are read aloud. Moments of silence mark the times when the planes struck the towers and when the buildings collapsed.
This year, organizers added another moment of silence recognizing those who later died from illnesses associated with exposure to the World Trade Center site.
And for the 25th anniversary, America's four living former presidents came to New York.
Former President George W. Bush, who was president when the attacks occurred, attended with Laura Bush.
Former Presidents Bill Clinton, Barack Obama and Joe Biden were also there.
Vice President JD Vance represented the Trump administration.
Trump went to the Pentagon.
Why Wasn't Trump in New York?
When Trump was asked before the anniversary why he wasn't going to the New York ceremony, his answer was brief.
“Because I'm going to the Pentagon.”
The Pentagon, of course, was itself attacked on September 11.
American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the building at 9:37 that morning, killing 184 people aboard the aircraft and inside the Pentagon.
There is nothing unusual about an American president commemorating September 11 there.
But reporting before the anniversary raised questions about why Trump's plans changed.
The New York Times reported that Trump had originally intended to commemorate the anniversary at Ground Zero and that his decision to go elsewhere was due in part to his desire to deliver remarks.
That presented a problem.
Politicians have not been permitted to give speeches during the Ground Zero ceremony since 2012.
The restriction is intentional.
The ceremony is designed around the victims and their families rather than elected officials.
Trump strongly disputed the newspaper's account.
He said he already knew politicians don't speak at the ceremony and insisted he would have been happy not to deliver remarks.
The precise reason behind the change in plans therefore remains disputed.
What isn't disputed is where everyone ended up.
Clinton, Bush, Obama and Biden were at Ground Zero.
Trump was at the Pentagon.
A Native New Yorker
Trump's absence was particularly noticeable because of his connection to New York.
He was born in Queens.
He built his business career in Manhattan.
For decades, the Trump name was closely associated with New York real estate, hotels and casinos.
Trump Tower remains one of his most recognizable properties.
Trump was also in New York on September 11, 2001.
Yet on the 25th anniversary of perhaps the most consequential day in modern New York history, America's four former presidents traveled to Ground Zero while the president who actually came from New York did not.
Trump last attended the annual Ground Zero ceremony in 2024, when he was campaigning for president.
Presidents Have Visited Multiple 9/11 Sites Before
Presidents are not limited to commemorating September 11 at a single location.
Previous presidents have traveled between multiple attack sites on major anniversaries.
George W. Bush visited multiple sites on the first and fifth anniversaries.
Barack Obama traveled to multiple memorial locations for the 10th anniversary.
Joe Biden visited all three attack sites — New York, the Pentagon and Shanksville, Pennsylvania — for the 20th anniversary in 2021.
Trump chose the Pentagon for the 25th.
His administration still maintained a presence at all three locations.
Vice President Vance attended Ground Zero, while administration officials participated in the ceremony at the Flight 93 National Memorial in Pennsylvania.
An Unusual Presidential Picture
Presidential anniversaries often create powerful historical images.
The photograph from Ground Zero this year will be one of them.
Four former presidents.
Four different administrations.
Two political parties.
All standing together at the site where the World Trade Center once stood.
And absent from that gathering was the current president of the United States.
That doesn't mean Trump ignored September 11.
He didn't.
He commemorated the Americans killed at the Pentagon, another place permanently scarred by the attacks.
But on the 25th anniversary, the nation's most prominent remembrance took place at Ground Zero.
Every living former president went.
The sitting president did not.