Vice president Kamala Harris stepped off Air Force Two in New York City on Monday morning to honor the anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks at Ground Zero.
It’s tradition for the President to spend 9/11 at one of the three locations where planes crashed and killed thousands of Americans in 2001.
So Harris is stepping-in to honor the Americans killed that day at the ceremony in New York City.
Meanwhile, President Joe Biden departed from Vietnam Monday morning to spend just two hours in Anchorage, Alaska speaking with service members and first responders on a military base located 4,300 miles away from where terrorists crashed planes into the World Trade Center 22 years ago.
Biden’s plans on Monday marks the first time a president has not attended one of the anniversary services at Ground Zero, the Pentagon or in Shanksville, Pennsylvania or at least hosted a memorial service at the White House, which Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama each did during one year of their terms in office.
Vice President Kamala Harris landed in New York City on Monday as she steps in for President Joe Biden to mark the 22nd anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks at Ground Zero
Meanwhile, President Joe Biden is spending the day flying back from Vietnam with a two-hour stop-over in Alaska where he will meet with service members and first responders. This is the first time a President will spend 9/11 away from Washington, D.C. or the three crash sites
The President’s stop over in Alaska Monday coincides with a refueling layover as Biden returns from a five-day trip to India and Vietnam.
Also on Monday, Biden held a bizarre press conference in Vietnam where he once again featured some of the potential liabilities some Democrats are fretting over amid concerns about his age and performance.
It featured a series of odd moments, including when Biden called on reporters from a prepared list. His Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre also cut off the event, then he came back to address reporters briefly while jazz music was being piped over a sound system.
He told a long story about a John Wayne movie where he spoke about cowboys and ‘Indians,’ then went back to a tale about the phrase ‘lying dog faced pony soldiers’ that he used then and has used previously.
The White House released Biden’s September 11 schedule Sunday night, after the President spent two days in New Delhi, India for the G20 Leaders ‘ Summit and then traveled to Hanoi, Vietnam, as the United States’ diplomatic status was elevated with the Asian nation.
Starting at 6:30 a.m. on Monday, Biden’s White House installed a 9/11 Memorial on the North Portico.
Biden won’t memorialize the terror attacks until he lands in Alaska – hours after the Twin Towers were hit 22 years prior.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre shared only vague details on how Biden would mark the solemn anniversary once the Vietnam leg of the Asia trip was added on.
VP Harris’ schedule was also vague, just noting she would spend the morning attending the annual 9/11 Commemoration Ceremony at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in New York City.
The ceremony is held every year at Ground Zero to honor the nearly 3,000 killed on September 11, 2001 at the World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia and in a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson is typically Air Force One’s refueling stop. The stops there usually last around 90 minutes as the president’s plane is filled with gas.
It’s tradition for President’s to spend 9/11 at one of the three crash sites – New York City, the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia or in Shanksville, Pennsylvania – or hold a ceremony at the White House
Jean-Pierre was asked last month if there had been any discussions about scheduling the Vietnam leg of the trip before the president was due in India in an effort to not skip marking the day in one of the three places where the planes crashed.
‘So, look, we’ll – we’ll have more on – on 9/11 in Alaska. As you just men – as you just mentioned, I laid out – announced that,’ she said.
‘Look, the president wanted to make sure that he, as the president, did something to commemorate 9/11. And that’s what you’re seeing. That’s what you’re seeing the president do,’ Jean-Pierre continued. ‘We’ll certainly have more details to share. I just don’t have anything more outside of that.’