Biden and his wife Jill arrived Saturday morning (local time) for a memorial ceremony at Ground Zero in New York, the site of the World Trade Center. The ceremony began just before 8:46 a.m., the time the first plane flew into the far north tower, with a minute’s silence. Then the relatives began to read the names of the victims.
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Left to Right: Former President Barack Obama, former First Lady Michelle Obama, current President Joe Biden and his wife Jill Biden. At the far right, former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg.
Ⓒ Environmental Protection Agency
A total of six moments of silence were recorded during the shift, corresponding to the times of the attacks and the crash. In addition to Biden and his wife, former Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama were present with their husbands.
Biden and his wife did not attend the entire ceremony. They left in the morning for Shanksville, where one of the two hijacked planes crashed 20 years ago while the passengers were trying to outrun the terrorists. There George W. Bush, president at the time of 9/11, gave a speech. In his speech, Bush denounced the current divisions among the American population. Finally, Biden visits the Pentagon.
Biden’s path is similar to the one taken by Obama in 2011, the 10th anniversary of 9/11. And the former president called in a statement, Saturday morning, to never forget the day of the attacks and not to recognize those committed to the safety of others.
US Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband, Douglas Imhoff, will also attend several memorial services on Saturday, including the Pentagon. On Saturday, Harris cared for victims and first responders. “They remind us that the power of the human mind is limitless,” the vice president said.
