Biden to Attend 25th 9/11 Ceremony in New York as Trump Skips Lower Manhattan

Q: What deeper meaning lies behind the newly added seventh moment of silence at the 25th anniversary commemoration?

The added seventh moment of silence signifies that the meaning of 9/11 remembrance has expanded beyond the attacks themselves to include the enduring human toll and the collective resilience that followed. Traditionally, the ceremony’s silences marked the key attack moments at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and aboard Flight 93. Placing a new silent pause at the end of the name reading gives symbolic weight to everything that came after Sept. 11, 2001: the grief carried by families, the survival of those who lived through it, and the service of first responders and communities who have borne the consequences for decades. That broader meaning is reinforced by the museum’s own framing of the anniversary. It says the commemoration is not only to honor the 2,983 people killed in the 2001 attacks and 1993 bombing victims, but also to recognize the lasting impact of 9/11. More than 9,000 people have now died from 9/11-related illnesses, according to the museum, and tens of thousands have been treated for related health effects. In that context, the seventh silence can be read as an acknowledgment that the story of 9/11 did not end that morning. Making the new pause a permanent part of the observance also sends a message to younger generations: “Never Forget” means remembering both loss and response — not just the violence of the day, but the courage, service, compassion and recovery that followed.

3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Sep 1

Joe Biden and Jill Biden will attend the Sept. 11 ceremony at the World Trade Center site, completing the roster of former presidents expected at the 25th-anniversary commemoration.
Trump, whose aides had initially prepared for him to appear in his hometown, decided against the Lower Manhattan event and is expected to mark the anniversary at the Pentagon instead.
The New York ceremony bars politicians from giving remarks under a 2012 policy, and people familiar with the decision said that restriction was one factor in Trump's choice.
The memorial will honor roughly 3,000 people killed in the 2001 attacks, with families reading the names of 2,983 victims from the 2001 and 1993 attacks.