United States President Donald Trump commemorated the 24th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks from the Pentagon on Thursday, honoring the memory of the 2,977 victims and emphasizing that America “will never forget” that tragic day. In a solemn speech before the families of the victims, representatives of the security forces and American authorities, Trump recalled the painful moments of that day and the heroism shown by American citizens.
"Vicious monsters attacked the symbols of our civilization. Yet here in Virginia, in New York, and in the skies of Pennsylvania, Americans did not falter. They stood their ground and showed the world that we will not retreat, we will not bow, we will not surrender, and our great American flag will never fail," Trump declared.
The president shared with the public some of the touching stories of the victims of September 11, including Brian Sweeney's last message to his wife Julie from United Flight 175, flight attendant Renee May's call to her mother telling her "I love you," Tom McGinnis' call from the 92nd floor of the North Tower, and the courage of Chuck Costello, who ran into the World Trade Center to save people trapped in elevators.
"That day, we learned that the heroic American spirit was all around us. We saw it in our police officers, in our brilliant firefighters, in our members of the armed forces here at the Pentagon, and in the hearts of every American who answered the call of history," Trump said.
During the speech, in addition to the tributes, Trump did not leave out his political tone. He repeated the statement that America was a "dead country" during his predecessor's presidency and emphasized that the country is now in a much stronger state.
"Last year we were a dead country. Now we have the hottest country in the world," he said, also highlighting his proposal to change the name of the Department of Defense to the Department of War, as a signal of determination to defend America from any threat.
The memorial ceremony was accompanied by a minute of silence, reading of the names of the victims, and homage to all those who lost their lives in the attacks of September 11, 2001.
