Read the full transcript of President Donald Trump’s remarks during a 9/11 memorial ceremony at the U.S. Pentagon to mark the 24th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, September 11, 2025.
Listen to the audio version here:
INTRODUCTION
President Donald J. Trump: Thank you very much, thank you very much. Before we begin, let me express the horror and grief so many Americans at the heinous assassination of Charlie Kirk have felt. Charlie was a giant of his generation, a champion of liberty, and an inspiration to millions and millions of people. Our prayers are with his wonderful wife, Erika, and his beautiful children. Fantastic people they are. We miss him greatly, yet I have no doubt that Charlie’s voice and the courage he put into the hearts of countless people, especially young people, will live on.
I’m pleased to announce that I will soon be awarding Charlie Kirk posthumously the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The date of the ceremony will be announced, and I can only guarantee you one thing, that we will have a very big crowd, very, very big.
The Pentagon: A Monument to American Strength
Thank you, my fellow Americans. Eighty-four years ago this morning, the banks of the Potomac were filled with the power of construction workers who broke ground on the building now known as the Pentagon on September 11, 1941. At the time, it was the biggest building ever built. From that moment forward, this structure stood as a monument to American strength, power, and cherished American freedom.
Exactly six decades later, on September 11, 2001, those same walls, filled with the sweat blood of our parents and grandparents, were scarred by flame and shaken by terror as our country came face to face with pure evil. On that fateful day, savage monsters attacked the very symbols of our civilization.
Yet here in Virginia, and in New York, and in the skies over Pennsylvania, Americans did not hesitate. They stood on their feet, and they showed the world that we will never yield, we will never bend, we will never give up, and our great American flag will never, ever fail.
Remembering the 2,977 Innocent Souls
That terrible morning 24 years ago, time itself stood still. The laughter of schoolchildren fell silent. The rush of hour traffic came to an absolute halt, and for 2,977 innocent souls and their families, the entire world came crashing down so suddenly. In the quarter of a century since those acts of mass murder, 9-11 family members have felt the weight of missed birthdays and empty bedrooms, journals left unfinished, and dreams left unfulfilled. To every member that still feels the void every day of your lives, the First Lady and I unite with you in sorrow. And today, as one nation, we renew our sacred vow that we will never forget September 11, 2001.
Final Words of Love and Courage
Amid the horror of that morning, some used cell phones and office lines whispered their final words to those who mattered most. They whispered indeed. At 8:59 a.m. aboard United Flight 175, Brian Sweeney called his wife Julie. He told her, “Do good, go have good times, I totally love you, I’ll see you again, I’ll meet you up there.” Four minutes later, his plane hit the South Tower of the World Trade Center.
At 9:12 a.m. aboard American Airlines Flight 77, Renee May called her mom. Just the day before, Renee learned that she was seven weeks pregnant, but she never got the chance to share the news. She simply said, “I love you, Mom.” Twenty-five minutes later, Renee’s plane struck the Pentagon, so violent a strike it was.
At 9:53 a.m. aboard United Flight 93, Elizabeth Guineo called her stepmom to get ready to break into the cockpit. “What do I do? I love you so much, they’re going to break in.” Ten minutes later, Flight 93 ended in the outfield near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
At 10:25 a.m., Tom McGinnis was trapped on the 92nd floor of the North Tower when he told his wonderful wife, Elena, on the phone, “There are people jumping from the floors above us. If we get out of here, it’ll be a total miracle. I love you, darling. Take care of Caitlin, beautiful daughter.” Three minutes later, the tower fell.
The Timeless Truth of American Character
Out of the ash, we witnessed the awesome power of that incredible love. We’ve seen it rise again. Out of the wreckage, we watched unbelievable courage suddenly take form, and out of the darkness, we saw the timeless truth of American character shine for the world to see. In America, we take blows, but we never buckle. We bleed, but we do not bow, and we defy the fear, endure the flames, and emerge from the crucible of every hardship stronger, prouder, and greater than ever before.
Last year, we were a dead country. Now, we have the highest country anywhere in the world. In New York, there were heroes like Chuck Costello, a 46-year-old elevator mechanic, and a member of the Knights of Columbus.
He selflessly ran into the World Trade Center to free people trapped in the elevators. His body was not found until the following January, deep under the debris. While going through his belongings, Chuck’s widow, Mary, a phenomenal woman, discovered a personal prayer written in his own words: “Help me to light the way for those in the dark, and when I enter the darkness, let me not panic, but patiently wait to remember the light.” Beautiful words. When the time came, Chuck ran boldly into the darkness of hell on earth, and now he shines in the light of heaven above. We remember him this morning.
That day, we learned that the American heroic spirit was all around us. We saw it in the police officers, the great firefighters, the service members here at the Pentagon, and in the hearts of every American who answered history’s call. One such hero was Army Sergeant First Class Steve Workman, who was on the edge of the impact zone when this incredible Pentagon was hit. He was right there. After leading hundreds of people to escape routes, Steve turned back and plunged into the inferno itself, pushing through the debris. He came upon a severely burned Navy lieutenant, the only survivor from the Navy Command Center. Only one.
The wounded lieutenant looked into Steve’s soul and said, “Don’t let me die.” Steve replied, “I won’t. I’ve got you. Just hang on.” He wheeled the lieutenant out of the wreckage on the back of a maintenance car before getting in the ambulance and taking him to Walter Reed Hospital. That man Steve saved, Lieutenant Kevin Schaffer, went on to join the elite team of CIA operatives who located Osama bin Laden. Steve, you’re an American hero. We appreciate it. We appreciate what you’ve gone through. Please stand. Please stand.
All right. Good looking man. Good looking man. You remember that day. You remember that day. Thank you very much, Steve. That was something. That was something.
America’s Response and Victory
In the years that followed, America’s warriors avenged their fallen and sent an unmistakable message to every enemy around the world. If you attack the United States of America, we will hunt you down and we will find you. Go all over this sometimes magnificent earth. We will crush you without mercy and we will triumph without question. That’s why we renamed the former Department of Defense back to the Department of War. It will be different. We won the First World War. We won the Second World War. We won everything before that and in between. And then we decided to change the name. Well, now we have it back to what we all wanted. Everybody is so happy to have it back. You will fail and America will win, win, win. The enemy will always fail.
A Father’s Legacy Lives On
24 years have passed since that Tuesday morning in September and an entire generation of Americans have come of age in a totally different world. While they cannot remember the agony of that day, they are carrying on the legacy of those who were lost. Around 8:30 a.m. on the morning of the attacks, Army Lieutenant Colonel Kip Taylor sent an e-mail to his friends and family describing his journalism, fatherhood and his excitement for the upcoming birth of his unborn son. He wrote: “After you have kids, there are days that you just get going and you say, ‘Hi, honey, I’m home.’ What we do until that moment pales in comparison, but just that little statement, ‘Hi, honey,’ so American, so beautiful. But that’s really the point of it all, isn’t it?”
An hour after he sent that e-mail, Flight 77 flew into Colonel Taylor’s Pentagon office and claimed the life of a very proud father and true patriot. Six weeks later on October 25, 2001, Colonel Taylor’s son, Luke, was born. Luke then tragically lost his mom to cancer when he was just two years old, leaving him to be raised by his father’s brother. As a young boy, Luke asked his uncle about the folded flag on the bookshelf and what he learned about his dad’s decades of devotion to the Army and the horrors of September 11th. That’s when he learned.
Luke carried that memory with him and joined the ROTC as a college freshman. He graduated just last year and I’m pleased to say he is with us today as a second lieutenant and doing very well. He’s rising quickly in the infantry, preparing for Army Ranger School. The spitting image of his dad, they say. Luke says that every time he puts on a uniform he feels connected to his father and to our country. It was a father he never knew.
Luke, your parents are together in heaven and they could not be prouder of the man that they have produced. They produced you. Those two great people produced you. Luke, please stand. Thank you. You look good, Luke. You look good. They’re looking down on you. They’re very proud.
This morning we recall the light of America’s best and bravest and the love that they showed in their final moments. In their memory we make a solemn pledge and a noble promise that we will honor always our great heroes. You are our heroes. There’s a group of people that don’t want to talk about our heroes but we will always talk about our heroes. That’s the way our country is and that’s the way the people feel.
Our Sacred Promise
We will defend the nation they serve, the values they upheld and the freedom for which they died. We will support our troops, we will protect our families and we will preserve the American way of life for every future generation. We will build taller, grow stronger, fight harder and soar higher.
And together we will go forward as one people with one heart, one faith, one flag and one glorious destiny under Almighty God. May God bless the memories of those who died and the heroes who fought and the soldiers who still stand watch. May God bless the United States of America. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you.
