President Donald Trump marked the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks at the Pentagon on Friday, as a giant American flag was unfurled over the building’s western side in tribute to the 184 people killed there.
The flag was lowered during a sunrise ceremony held in heavy rain, watched by Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and senior military leaders at the site struck by American Airlines Flight 77 on September 11, 2001.
Later, Mr Trump and the first lady, Melania Trump, joined relatives and officials at the Pentagon memorial as the names of those who died were read aloud. A bell sounded after each name.
In his address, Mr Trump recalled the sense of solidarity that followed the attacks, saying Americans had seen “the authentic spirit of our nation” in the days afterwards.
“We were all New Yorkers that day. Every one of us. We were all New Yorkers. We were all family,” he said.
The Pentagon ceremony formed part of commemorations across the United States for the nearly 3,000 people killed when four hijacked aircraft were used in attacks on New York, Virginia and Pennsylvania.
Mr Trump, a New York native, was attending the Pentagon observance for a second consecutive year. Vice-President JD Vance was due to take part in the ceremony in New York, while other senior administration officials attended events at the Flight 93 memorial in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
The White House had designated September 11, 2026, as Patriot Day and called on federal departments and agencies to fly the American flag at half-mast in memory of the 2,977 victims of the attacks.
Speaking at an earlier event on the Ellipse outside the White House, Mr Trump pledged that the victims would “never forget” and described the attacks as a moment that divided history into what came before and what followed.
The event, organised by the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, displayed a 21-foot steel beam recovered from the World Trade Centre’s South Tower. The nearly 17,000-pound section had travelled across the country as part of a commemorative tour before being taken to New York.
The anniversary was also marked at a Republican gathering in Dallas, where families and firefighters appeared on stage as the names of victims were shown on a screen and a bell was rung in honour of those who died.
