Donald Trump absent from the commemoration of the September 11 attacks in New York. Who will stand in for the American president and what other political figures will attend

The commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, will bring together at Ground Zero in New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani and former presidents Joe Biden, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, and George W. Bush. President Donald Trump will not attend the ceremony in the metropolis and will be represented by Vice President J.D. Vance.

Mamdani’s presence, confirmed as early as July, has sparked controversy among some victims’ families and survivor groups because of his Muslim and pro-Palestinian positions. A petition opposing his participation has gathered nearly 100,000 signatures. The mayor, however, defended his right to attend and said he would honor the victims, survivors, and emergency response teams.

Donald Trump will be the first sitting president to be absent from the commemoration ceremonies in New York. Instead, the American president has decided to attend a commemorative event taking place at another site targeted in the September 11 attacks, namely the Pentagon.