Trump Skips 9/11 Terror Attack 20th Anniversary Memorial... Criticizes Biden's Withdrawal All Day

[Photo by Reuters-Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] Former U.S. President Donald Trump made a surprise visit on the 11th (local time) to police and fire stations in Manhattan, New York, the site of the 9/11 attacks on the 20th anniversary of the tragedy, according to The Washington Post (WP).

Trump visited New York that day but did not visit any memorial sites. Instead, he visited police stations in Manhattan to encourage the officers while criticizing President Joe Biden.

At the New York 17th Precinct police station in Midtown East Manhattan, he said, "It is a sad day. A very sad day for many reasons," and mentioned that something that should never have happened did occur. This appeared to refer to the chaos and sacrifices during the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan. Trump criticized President Biden's withdrawal as "tremendous incompetence."

Earlier that morning, Trump released a video message regarding the Afghan withdrawal, saying the Biden administration surrendered in defeat and that "we will struggle to recover from the humiliation caused by such incompetence." He also likened Biden to a "fool."

When asked about his plans to run in the 2024 presidential election, former President Trump replied, "It's an easy question, but I have decided not to talk about it yet," adding, "I think you will be happy. That's all I will say."

Trump did not attend the official memorial ceremony held at "Ground Zero," the site of the 9/11 attacks, that morning. He also did not appear at memorials at Shanksville, Pennsylvania, another attack site, or at the Department of Defense near Washington, D.C. This contrasted with President Biden and former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton attending the New York memorial, and former President George W. Bush attending the Shanksville memorial.

WP reported, "Trump did not attend any memorial ceremonies that day," adding, "Even 96-year-old former President Jimmy Carter planned to pay tribute from his home in Georgia."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.