President Donald Trump on Tuesday honored the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, pledging to "never forget" the nearly quarter-century-old tragedy. The ceremony, held at the Ellipse outside the White House, featured a 21-foot, nearly 17,000-pound steel beam recovered from the South Tower of the World Trade Center as part of the Steel Across America tour.
Trump's appearance marked the beginning of a week of commemorations, which will include an event at the Pentagon on Friday. The steel beam, present at the Ellipse event, will be part of a procession in New York on Friday that retraces the steps of fallen New York City firefighter Stephen Siller.
"This battered piece of steel here today on the Ellipse is a reminder that America is blessed with a strength no fire can consume, no evil can conquer and no terror can destroy," Trump said.
During his remarks, the president paid tribute to specific victims, including New York City firefighter Jeffrey Palazzo and Welles Crowther, an equities trader known as the "man in the red bandanna" for his rescues during the attacks. The U.S. Coast Guard will commission a new fast-response cutter in honor of Palazzo, a Coast Guard reservist. Crowther was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, with his mother and sister accepting the honor.
Trump also praised Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who led Cantor Fitzgerald, a firm housed at the World Trade Center that lost his brother and over 650 employees. Lutnick has since rebuilt the firm and directed profits toward the families of victims.
The event was attended by Cabinet officials, members of Congress, and approximately 150 first responders from New York, Washington, and Pennsylvania. Frank Siller, chairman and CEO of the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, which spearheaded the event, noted the "incredible" heroism displayed on Sept. 11, 2001.