Every past president who is still alive has said they will be at Ground Zero for the 25th anniversary of September 11.
But Donald Trump won’t be there.
At first, it was thought Trump would take part in the ceremony in New York, as reported by the New York Times.
However, the organizers told the White House that Trump wouldn’t be allowed to give one of his typical political speeches.
This isn’t a special issue for Trump.
Since 2012, organizers have kept politicians from speaking at the ceremony to make sure the focus stays on the victims and their families, not on elected leaders.
Trump got angry about this and refused to go.
Instead, he plans to honor the day at the Pentagon in Virginia, where Biden, Obama, Bush, and Clinton will be joining the families of the victims in New York.Trump will be the only current or former president not at the Ground Zero ceremony.
The White House gave another reason, saying that the Pentagon event was easier to organize on the day.
Trump was also very upset with the original report, attacking the NYT’s star reporter, “Maggot” Haberman, and angrily asking her to give up any money she ever made writing about him.
September 11 is bigger than any president.
The attacks changed the course of American history, started wars, changed American foreign policy and national security, and left a lasting scar on the country’s memory 25 years later.
It’s deeply disappointing that the current president is choosing not to stand at Ground Zero on its 25th anniversary with the living former presidents.
This is one of those rare moments when the presidency needs only one thing—showing up, standing quietly, and realizing that the moment isn’t about you.
But Trump sees the presidency as if everything in American history starts and ends with him.
He tries to put his name on everything and rushes to build new things that also have his name on them.
Ceremonies are just another stage, and national events are turned into chances to put himself at the center of attention.
But no matter how hard he tries, Trump can never be bigger than September 11.
At Ground Zero, there’s no place for Donald Trump.
Even for George W.Bush, the president who led the country through the attacks, there’s no big spotlight.What matters there are the names of the nearly 3,000 people who died, spoken aloud by their families while politicians listen and stay quiet.
Biden gets that.
Obama gets that.Clinton gets that.And Bush, more than anyone, understands that.
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