Trump honors 9/11 victims and calls for national unity: 'We will never, ever forget. That’s why we fight today'

President Donald Trump commemorated the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks this Friday at the Pentagon, in a ceremony dedicated to the victims, their families, the firefighters, police officers, medical personnel, and military personnel who responded to the attacks.

On September 11, 2001, 19 Al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four airplanes. Two were flown into the Twin Towers, another struck the Pentagon, and the fourth crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania after passengers attempted to regain control of the aircraft. Nearly 3,000 people died in the attacks and their immediate aftermath.

Trump: "We were all New Yorkers that day"

The president described 9/11 as a moment that revealed "the terrible power of hate," but also "the even greater power of the American spirit to endure and prevail." Trump asserted that the United States is now "stronger than it has ever been before" and that future generations will continue to honor the heroes of that day.

Trump focused much of his speech on the unity that followed the attacks. "We were all New Yorkers that day. Every one of us. We were all New Yorkers. We were all family," he said, recalling the American people's reaction after the attack.

"Today we renew the sacred oath that we first swore in their names a quarter of a century ago. We will never, ever forget. That’s why we fight today," Trump said at the ceremony in Washington.

The president also called for educating future generations in patriotism and confidence in their country. "We can raise our children to know that their country is good, that their fathers are brave, and that our flag is a symbol of justice and freedom," he noted. "We don’t have a choice. There can only be victory. We fight hard. We fight to win," he added.

The link to the Iranian regime

Although the speech was primarily dedicated to the memory of the victims, Trump linked the legacy of 9/11 to his administration's current foreign policy. The president praised the military personnel deployed overseas and stated that they are working to prevent the Iranian regime from developing a nuclear weapon.

"We salute the service members working right now to ensure the world’s number one sponsor of terror — the Islamic Republic of Iran — will never ever have a nuclear weapon," he declared.

For his part, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth maintained that the fight against jihadism is not over and that today the front line is in Iran. "The struggle against evil continued, and it continues now," he said, portraying the Iranian regime as a persistent threat to the United States.

"Enemies plot to curb our power and kill our citizens," he said. Among those enemies are "Islamic terrorists abroad and at home," he added.

"Over the past six months, we have laid waste to the world’s most prolific state sponsor of terrorism," he said, referring to Iran.

Tributes in New York and Shanksville

Trump attended the ceremony at the Pentagon, where 184 people died after terrorists crashed American Airlines Flight 77 into the building. Vice President JD Vance attended the Ground Zero memorial service in New York in his place.

Former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Joe Biden also attended the tribute in New York. The joint presence of the four former presidents underscored the national and nonpartisan nature of the commemoration.