During his address in Anchorage, Alaska, marking the 22nd anniversary of the September 11 attacks, President Biden asserted that he had personally visited ground zero within a day following the tragic events. Consistent with a recurring motif in the Biden Administration, the president drew a connection between the 9/11 attacks and contemporary political concerns. He conveyed to members of the U.S. military that terrorism, encompassing both political and ideological violence, stands in stark contrast to the core values of our nation.
“We must not succumb to the poisonous politics of difference and division, must never allow ourselves to be pulled apart attending manufactured grievances, we must continue to stand united. We all have an obligation, a duty, a responsibility to defend, to preserve, to protect our democracy.”
The president further asserted that he had made a visit to ground zero in Manhattan, New York, a mere day after the attacks occurred, “Never forget, never forget, we never forget. Each of us, each of those precious lives stolen too soon, when evil attacked. Ground zero in New York – I remember standing there the next day, looking at the building, and I felt like I was looking through the gates of hell. It looked so devastating because of the way you – from where you could stand.”
Biden, who held a seat in the U.S. Senate during that period, was not present in New York on September 12, 2001. This is because the Senate convened in Washington D.C. to denounce the attacks.
Monday witnessed the inaugural 9/11 memorial ceremony at ground zero in New York without the presence of a U.S. President. President Biden, who had recently returned from the G20 summit in India and a subsequent visit to Vietnam, delegated Vice President Harris to represent the White House on this occasion.
Biden explained that his choice to address U.S. troops in Anchorage was motivated by his desire to pay tribute to those who had willingly enlisted in the military following the events of 9/11.
