Biden attends wreath-laying ceremony at Pentagon
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President Biden, first lady Jill Biden, Vice President Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff attend a wreath-laying ceremony at the National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial on Sept. 11 in Arlington, Virginia. Photo: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
President Biden participated in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Pentagon on Saturday to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.
The latest: Biden and first lady Jill Biden arrived at the Pentagon after visiting the Flight 93 memorial in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, and Ground Zero in New York City.
Details: The Bidens were joined at the Pentagon by Vice President Kamala Harris, second gentleman Douglas Emhoff, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefsof Staff.
- Harris traveled to Shanksville earlier Saturday and was joined by former President George W. Bush and first lady Laura Bush.
- The Bidens were joined at Ground Zero by former President Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton; former President Obama and first lady Michelle; and former New York City mayors Rudy Giuliani and Michael Bloomberg, among other officials.
- Former President Donald Trump told Fox News on Friday that he planned to visit Ground Zero on Saturday, though no official plans were announced.
What he's saying: Biden focused his 9/11 remarks on a return to unity — a sentiment that Harris and the 43rd president later echoed in their speeches.
- "Unity is what makes us who we are. America at its best. To me, that’s the central lesson of Sept. 11," Biden said in a video message commemorating the anniversary.
- Biden said that while visiting the Shanksville fire station, he took photos with boys wearing Trump hats.
- “Are we going to, in the next four, five, six, 10 years, demonstrate that democracies can work, or not?” Biden said.
In photos
Go deeper: In photos: 9/11 ceremony at Ground Zero
