Trump cites 'American defiance' in 9/11 tribute to victims

[webfact]

Trump cites 'American defiance' in 9/11 tribute to victims

By Roberta Rampton

 

U.S. President Donald Trump andfirst lady Melania Trump walk at the Flight 93 National Memorial during the 17th annual September 11 observance at the memorial near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, U.S., September 11, 2018. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

 

SHANKSVILLE, Pa. (Reuters) - President Donald Trump on Tuesday praised the men and women of United Flight 93 for saving countless lives when they struggled with hijackers on Sept. 11, 2001, and called the field where the plane went down a monument to "American defiance."

 

Commemorating the 17th anniversary of the attacks that destroyed the World Trade Center in New York and struck the Pentagon outside Washington, Trump said the nation shared the grief of the family members whose loved ones were lost that day.

 

"We grieve together for every mother and father, sister and brother, son and daughter, who was stolen from us at the Twin Towers, the Pentagon and here in this Pennsylvania field," Trump said.

 

Commemorations also took place in New York and Washington to mark the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks by al Qaeda, in which nearly 3,000 people were killed.

 

Flight 93 was heading to San Francisco from Newark, New Jersey, when passengers stormed the plane's cockpit and sought to take control from the hijackers. All were killed when the plane crashed in a field, preventing what was thought to be another planned target in Washington.

 

Family members of Flight 93, some of their voices breaking, read aloud the names of the 40 passengers and crew members who died. Memorial bells tolled.

 

Trump and his wife, Melania, travelled to the Flight 93 National Memorial from Washington and paused for a moment of reflection while overlooking the field where the plane crashed.

 

"They boarded the plane as strangers and they entered eternity linked forever as true heroes," Trump said of the passengers and crew.

 

"This field is now a monument to American defiance. This memorial is now a message to the world: America will never, ever submit to tyranny."

 

Trump is still dealing with the consequences of that day, with the war in Afghanistan, launched in response to the attacks, now America’s longest. He cited the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan in his remarks, saying: "Nearly 7,000 service members have died facing down the menace of radical Islamic terrorism."

 

In New York, the Bell of Hope rang out at St. Paul's Chapel to mark the moment at 8:46 a.m. when the first of two hijacked planes hit the World Trade Center. The bell has been rung on every anniversary since 2002, when it was presented to New York by the City of London to honour those who died.

 

Mourners gathered at the National September 11 Memorial plaza in Manhattan for the annual reading of victims' names.

 

Members of the U.N. Security Council stood for a moment of silence led by U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley.

 

(Reporting by Roberta Rampton; Additional reporting by Reuters TV in New York; Writing by Jeff Mason; Editing by Bill Tarrant and Peter Cooney)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-09-12

[Nyezhov]

RIP heroes and honoured casualties.

[Boon Mee]

"Let's Roll" will always be the operative term. 

[bristolboy]

I believe we can judge Trump's sincerity by the big donation he gave to the 9/11 fund. Well, actually, it was an imaginary donation but it's the thought that counts. But he was gracious enough to accept thanks for it.

https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Donald-Trump-Claims-Donations-911-Charities-Controller-Audit-397031461.html

 

And then there's this comment he made shortly after the attack:

"40 Wall street actually was the second-tallest building in downtown Manhattan, and it was actually before the World Trade Center the tallest, and and then when they built the World Trade Center it became known as the second-tallest, and now it’s the tallest And I just spoke to my people, and they said it’s the most unbelievable sight, it’s probably seven or eight blocks away from the World Trade Center, and yet Wall Street is littered with two feet of stone and brick and mortar and steel …"

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/trump-bragged-tallest-building/

He couldn't even refrain from lying in the wake of 9/11.

[alfalfa19]

It sounds like he closely followed the script supplied by his handlers for a change.   Seems he might have learned a lesson.  Whenever he deviates from his supplied lines, he sticks his foot into his gigantic mouth, and embarasses the nation, and then his minions have to spend a few days glossing it over. 

[Tug]

Rip to all aboard I like the memorial the chimes are a wonderful idea looks like trump stuck to his assigned lines won’t last though I do rember some stupid comment soon after went something like I guess I have the tallest building in ny now i could say more but in deference to our lost brothers and sisters I will remain silent

[mtls2005]

Maybe he'll re-tell his tale about digging through the rubble looking for survivors? Or bragging that Trump Tower was the tallest building after the twin towers fell (is wasn't).

 

Donald Trump: I 'helped a little bit' with clearing 9/11 rubble

 

Donald Trump claimed that he helped in the clearing of rubble in the wake of the 11 September attacks that tore a hole in the New York skyline. 

 

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/donald-trump-i-helped-a-little-bit-with-clearing-911-rubble-a6991761.html

 

Photo shows Trump pumping fists en route to September 11 memorial service

 

A photo on Tuesday captured a fist-pumping President Donald Trump arriving in Pennsylvania to attend a memorial service on the anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, prompting outrage on social media over the president's demeanor.

 

 

https://www.businessinsider.com/photo-trump-fist-pump-9-11-september-memorial-service-2018-9

 

 

 

 

[mtls2005]

His 9/11 "greatest hits" are amazing.

 

He dug through the rubble.

He lost hundreds of friends, like he even has five friends.

He watched many people jumping out of the WTC (from four miles away).

He saw Muslims celebrating in NJ.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[rudi49jr]

Instead of honoring the 9/11 casualties right away, Trump started the day with his usual twitter rants, the first of which were an attack on Jeff Sessions. The man simply doesn't have a decent bone in his body. And still almost 33% of Americans find him 'honest' and 'trustworthy'. Go figure. 

[mtls2005]

I think this was the first tweet of the day...from his "throne" watching Fox...

 

 

 

But the empathy of this one really stands out...

 

 

[mtls2005]