Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Trump Leads Nation in Solemn Remembrance of Sept. 11 Attacks
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 6 years ago on
September 11, 2018

Share

SHANKSVILLE, Pa. — Standing in the field where the last of the Sept. 11 planes crashed, President Donald Trump praised the “band of brave patriots” who helped bring down the jetliner and saved the lives of countless others in the nation’s capital.
Trump paid his respects Tuesday at a rural Pennsylvania field where the fourth airplane hijacked that day crashed after its 40 passengers and crew learned about attacks in New York and Washington and tried to storm the cockpit.

“A piece of America’s heart is buried on these grounds, but in its place has grown a new resolve to live our lives with the same grace and courage as the heroes of Flight 93.” — President Donald Trump
Terrorists at the controls of Flight 93 planned to fly it into the U.S. Capitol, Trump said. But through the bravery and sacrifice of passengers and crew, he said, “the Forty” spared Washington from a devastating strike.
“A piece of America’s heart is buried on these grounds, but in its place has grown a new resolve to live our lives with the same grace and courage as the heroes of Flight 93,” the president said, standing on a dais just yards from where the plane went down.
“This field is now a monument to American defiance. This memorial is now a message to the world: America will never, ever submit to tyranny,” Trump said as applause rang out from the audience of Flight 93 family members, dignitaries and others.

Names of 40 Victims Read Aloud

Before he spoke, Trump listened as the names of the 40 victims were read aloud, followed by the tolling of bells. He was joined by his wife, first lady Melania Trump, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf and former Gov. Mark Schweiker, who was the state’s lieutenant governor on 9/11.
Nearly 3,000 people died that day when other airplanes were flown into New York’s World Trade Center and the Pentagon in an attack planned by al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden. Bin Laden was killed in May 2011 during a U.S. military operation ordered by President Barack Obama.
In Shanksville, Trump spoke of the passengers who boarded the United Airlines 8 a.m. flight from Newark, New Jersey, expecting to get off in San Francisco.
“They boarded the plane as strangers, and they entered eternity linked forever as true heroes,” he said. “A band of brave patriots turned the tide on our nation’s enemies.”
Before leaving Washington, Trump marked the anniversary with tweets, including praise for Rudy Giuliani, his personal attorney who was New York’s mayor on 9/11.

Trump Once Accused President Bush of Failing to Keep Americans Safe

Trump had been in his Trump Tower penthouse, 4 miles from the World Trade Center, during the 2001 attacks. He has a mixed history with Sept. 11, often using the terror strikes to praise the response of New Yorkers but also making unsubstantiated claims about what he did and saw that day. He has also accused fellow Republican George W. Bush, who was president, of failing to keep America safe.
He has said, when talking about Muslims, that “thousands of people were cheering” in Jersey City, New Jersey, across the Hudson River from lower Manhattan, as the towers collapsed. There is no evidence of that in news stories at the time.
Trump also has said he lost “hundreds of friends” in the New York attack. He has not provided names but has mentioned knowing a Roman Catholic priest who died while serving as a chaplain to the city’s fire department.

DON'T MISS

Waymo’s Robotaxis Now Open to Anyone Who Wants a Driverless Ride in Los Angeles

DON'T MISS

Fresno County Man Accused of Filing Fake Disability Claims in $300K Fraud Scheme

DON'T MISS

Trump Nominates Fox News Host Pete Hegseth for Defense Secretary

DON'T MISS

Economists Warn of Inflation and Debt Risks in Trump’s Second Term Plans

DON'T MISS

How Many Smoke Shops Is Too Many? Fresno Plan Would Allow Only 49

DON'T MISS

US Says It Will Not Limit Israel Arms Transfers After Some Improvements in Flow of Aid to Gaza

DON'T MISS

Who With Valley Ties Could Land Spots in the Trump Administration?

DON'T MISS

Tulare Gang Member Gets Life Without Parole for 2022 Murders

DON'T MISS

Who With Valley Ties Could Land Spots in the Trump Administration?

DON'T MISS

Gov. Newsom Said No, but California Voters Overwhelmingly Said Yes

UP NEXT

Chris Wallace Is Leaving CNN, Eager to Explore New Media Landscape

UP NEXT

US Regulators Investigating Whether Engines on 1.4 Million Hondas Might Fail

UP NEXT

When to Catch the Last Supermoon of the Year

UP NEXT

Mattel Says It ‘Deeply’ Regrets Misprint on ‘Wicked’ Dolls Packaging That Links to Porn Site

UP NEXT

Trump to Target Iran’s Oil Trade in Renewed ‘Maximum Pressure’ Campaign

UP NEXT

4B Movement: After the Election, a Call for Women to Swear Off Men

UP NEXT

FBI Thwarts Iranian Murder-for-Hire Plan Targeting Donald Trump

UP NEXT

Wave of Racist Texts After Election Prompts FBI Scrutiny

UP NEXT

Americans Seek Fresh Start Abroad as Election Sparks Expat Interest

UP NEXT

Trump Promises to Bring Lasting Peace to a Tumultuous Middle East. But Fixing It Won’t Be Easy

Economists Warn of Inflation and Debt Risks in Trump’s Second Term Plans

33 mins ago

How Many Smoke Shops Is Too Many? Fresno Plan Would Allow Only 49

45 mins ago

US Says It Will Not Limit Israel Arms Transfers After Some Improvements in Flow of Aid to Gaza

52 mins ago

Who With Valley Ties Could Land Spots in the Trump Administration?

2 hours ago

Tulare Gang Member Gets Life Without Parole for 2022 Murders

3 hours ago

Who With Valley Ties Could Land Spots in the Trump Administration?

4 hours ago

Gov. Newsom Said No, but California Voters Overwhelmingly Said Yes

4 hours ago

Mike Tyson-Jake Paul: How to Watch the Fight, Time, Odds

5 hours ago

Travel in the West Bank Is a Tale of Two Journeys

5 hours ago

Chris Wallace Is Leaving CNN, Eager to Explore New Media Landscape

5 hours ago

Waymo’s Robotaxis Now Open to Anyone Who Wants a Driverless Ride in Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES – Waymo on Tuesday opened its robotaxi service to anyone who wants a ride around Los Angeles, marking another milestone in...

13 mins ago

13 mins ago

Waymo’s Robotaxis Now Open to Anyone Who Wants a Driverless Ride in Los Angeles

A Fresno County man has been indicted on mail fraud charges for allegedly submitting over $300,000 in falsified disability claims using stolen identities. (GV Wire File)
26 mins ago

Fresno County Man Accused of Filing Fake Disability Claims in $300K Fraud Scheme

Pete Hegseth walks to an elevator for a meeting with President-elect Donald Trump at Trump Tower in New York, Dec. 15, 2016. (AP File)
30 mins ago

Trump Nominates Fox News Host Pete Hegseth for Defense Secretary

33 mins ago

Economists Warn of Inflation and Debt Risks in Trump’s Second Term Plans

45 mins ago

How Many Smoke Shops Is Too Many? Fresno Plan Would Allow Only 49

52 mins ago

US Says It Will Not Limit Israel Arms Transfers After Some Improvements in Flow of Aid to Gaza

Photo of David Bernhardt
2 hours ago

Who With Valley Ties Could Land Spots in the Trump Administration?

Nathaniel Lujano, 23, of Tulare, a known gang member was sentenced to life without parole for two 2022 murders, committed to benefit a criminal street gang. (Tulare County DA)
3 hours ago

Tulare Gang Member Gets Life Without Parole for 2022 Murders

Search

Send this to a friend