The United States marked the 25th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks on Wednesday, September 11, 2026, with nationwide ceremonies that honored the nearly 3,000 victims while reflecting both the enduring grief of families and the stark political divisions of modern America. From Ground Zero in Lower Manhattan to the Pentagon in Virginia, the fated fields of Shanksville, Pennsylvania, and the departure gates of Boston, communities gathered to remember the day 19 al-Qaida hijackers took control of four commercial airplanes, altering the course of history.
The commemorations underscored the passage of time, as nearly a third of all living Americans were not yet born when the deadliest terrorist attack on U.S. soil occurred.
At the 9/11 Memorial & Museum in Lower Manhattan, the passage of generations was starkly visible. A young girl ascended the stage to read the name of her late aunt and namesake, Maria Theresa Concepcion Santillan, whom she never had the chance to meet. "I wish you could celebrate my birthday with me tomorrow," she said. "Please continue watching over us and know we all love and miss you." Beside her, a young boy honored his grandfather and namesake, Andrew Ira Rosenblum.
"We will always remember you," he said. "We love you. God bless America." Nearby, relatives in the crowd held up photographs of lost loved ones, while others placed flowers and miniature American flags into the inscribed names lining the memorial pools.
Four former U.S. presidents stood in solemn reflection as first responders carried a massive American flag onto the stage, accompanied by a performance by cellist Yo-Yo Ma. However, the ceremony also highlighted the political polarization of the present day. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, the city's first Muslim mayor, attended the ceremony despite facing Islamophobic attacks and calls to boycott the event from conservative politicians. Standing only steps away was former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, who had served as a unifying figure immediately following the 2001 attacks but later became a highly controversial political figure.
Giuliani had previously stated that Mamdani's presence at the memorial would offend him. This friction stood in sharp contrast to the immediate aftermath of 9/11, when then-President George W. Bush visited the Islamic Center of Washington to declare that "Islam is peace" in an effort to combat rising Islamophobia.
The New York ceremony also served as a platform for continued frustration over the geopolitical aftermath of the attacks. Some speakers openly condemned Saudi Arabia for its alleged role in supporting the hijackers. The Saudi government has consistently denied any involvement or prior knowledge of the attacks, asserting in court that it remains a steadfast U.S. ally and an enemy of al-Qaida. However, the legal battle continues blocks away from Ground Zero. Terry Strada, an official with 9/11 Families United and the widow of Tom Strada, who died at the World Trade Center, criticized successive American administrations.
"For 25 years, administration after administration, including leaders in front of us here today, chose to protect the Saudis instead of standing with the 9/11 families," Strada said. She then thanked Vice President JD Vance for his attendance, adding, "Please carry that message back – stand with the families, stand with the survivors, stand with Americans. As my husband Tom would have said, ‘That is always the right thing to do.’"
For other attendees, the focus remained entirely on unity and personal remembrance. Barbara Pemberton, a 74-year-old retired educator from Williamsburg, Virginia, traveled to the ceremony wearing a bracelet inscribed with the name of her sister, Sue Sauer, who was inside the World Trade Center for a business meeting when the towers were struck. Pemberton expressed a desire for younger generations to study the events of 9/11 and the profound national unity that followed. "I wish we could go back to the day after 9/11 and see how patriotic people were then," she said. "We are so divided now and it breaks my heart."
At the Pentagon, where 184 people lost their lives when American Airlines Flight 77 struck the building, the day began with a solemn sunrise tradition. Members of the U.S. 911th Technical Rescue Engineer Co. unfurled a massive American flag down the west side of the building, recreating the action of the first responders who hung a flag there 25 years ago. The United States Marine Band performed "God Bless America" as military officers read the names of the victims, their photographs displayed on flanking screens. Aside from the reading of names, the only sound was the occasional roar of airplanes flying overhead.
Gen. Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke to the gathered crowd, recalling how Pentagon staff members braved smoke and flames to rescue their colleagues. "Today is not just a story of loss; it is also a story of great American courage, selfless service – and those who’ve made the choice to carry those memories forward," Caine said. "In the moment of greatest danger, Americans moved toward one another." Outside the building, President Donald Trump delivered remarks praising the resilience of the American public in the face of what he described as wickedness.
"On days like 9/11, we learned what a country is truly made of," Trump said, adding that "Americans are made of a goodness and a spirit that can transcend any earthly force, and that’s what we’re doing better than anyone else has ever been able to do it, because we are sustained by a supreme strength far more powerful than steel alone." Visitors were also permitted to walk through a corridor inside the Pentagon near the impact site, where walls were decorated with photographs of the disaster, cleanup efforts, and commemorative artwork created by children.
In Massachusetts, where two of the hijacked flights originated, mourners gathered on the steps of the Statehouse in Boston. Teresa Mathai, whose husband Joseph Mathai died in the North Tower of the World Trade Center, read "We Remember Them," a poem by Rabbis Sylvan Kamens and Jack Riemer. Mathai, a resident of Arlington, Massachusetts, noted that her children are now married with children of their own, representing a generation born after the tragedy.
Following the reading, Governor Maura Healey and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu read the names of the 219 Massachusetts residents who perished in the attacks. Mathai reflected on the raw, painful autumn of 2001. "None of us knew how we would survive the weight of such sudden, devastating loss," Mathai said. "Yet out of that unprecedented darkness, something profound emerged: unity."
Further ceremonies in Boston took place at Logan International Airport, where American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175 had departed before being hijacked. Archbishop of Boston Richard Henning led prayers at the airport's memorial, which bears the names of those aboard the fated flights. "We have in the Catholic tradition a ritual for blessing churches and cemeteries – hallowing the ground. But it strikes me that there's more than one way to make ground holy, and I feel so honored to be with you today," Henning said. "And I feel very truly that we are standing right now on hallowed ground, holy ground."
Meanwhile, in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, hundreds gathered at the Flight 93 National Memorial to honor the 40 passengers and crew members who fought back against hijackers, forcing the plane to crash into a field instead of its intended target in Washington, D.C. Among the mourners was 28-year-old Davanna Feyrer, who was only three years old on 9/11. She recalled watching television on the morning of the attacks and seeing a plane strike a tower without understanding what was happening.
Feyrer, who attended the ceremony with her parents, Minnetta Bowman and her father, noted how she has watched the memorial grow over the years, expressing a particular fondness for the 93-foot Tower of Voices monument and its 40 windchimes.
Her mother explained that the family visits the site annually because "it was just everyday people who stepped up to the plate and showed their support for each other and for our country." Deborah Grantham, who drove from Tennessee to attend, spoke of how the bravery of the Flight 93 passengers deeply resonated with her, noting that they decided to fight back despite knowing their plane was doomed. Grantham expressed hope that the 25th anniversary would encourage Americans to reach across political divides. "We all came together," she said, "and I hope we come together again. I hope there's more reaching across the aisle – more being Americans, rather than thinking of individual wants and needs."
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