At the Ground Zero memorial service on the 25th anniversary of the September 11th attacks, a 9/11 widow directly confronted former presidents George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden, accusing them of protecting Saudi Arabia instead of seeking justice for the victims' families.
Terry Strada, whose husband Tom was killed in the attacks, addressed the leaders gathered at the memorial, asserting that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia played a role in fomenting anti-American terrorism and supporting the hijackers. "And still we have no justice for the role that Saudi Arabia played in your murder," she stated, drawing applause from the crowd.
Strada criticized successive administrations for prioritizing relations with Saudi Arabia over the families of those lost. "For 25 years, administration after administration, including leaders in front of us here today, chose to protect the Saudis instead of standing with the 9/11 families," she said. "They broke promises both public and private. It has been one betrayal after another."
She then turned her attention to former President Donald Trump, suggesting he could still alter the course of accountability by demanding that Saudi Arabia acknowledge its role in the attacks before the U.S. can consider them friends. Trump was not present at the Ground Zero ceremony, instead attending a separate memorial at the Pentagon.
Strada also addressed Vice President JD Vance, who was in attendance. She thanked him for his presence and implored him to "carry that message back" to Washington, urging him to stand with the 9/11 families and survivors.
