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Nation Marks the 25th Anniversary of 9/11 Terror Attacks; Ceremonies Today at Flight 93 National Memorial in Pennsylvania; Trump Says, Pretend I'm on the Ticket in Midterm Elections. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired September 11, 2026 - 07:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[07:00:00]

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: This morning, 25 years, a quarter century, since the day this country was attacked, changed forever, and vowed to never forget. I'm Kate Bolduan. We are today overlooking the 9/11 Memorial Plaza as the nation remembers the nearly 3,000 lives lost in the terror attacks of September 11th. And we honor the heroism of the first responders who ran toward that danger and saved so many lives because of it.

We want to show you some live pictures from the plaza that we're overlooking on the site where the World Trade Center towers once stood. Families will be gathering here this morning to read the names of their loved ones lost. Vice President J.D. Vance and all four living former presidents are expected to attend this ceremony today as well.

At the Pentagon, just moments ago, an American flag unfurled honoring the 184 people killed there when American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the building's west side. President Trump, he's going to be there today delivering remarks just a little bit later this morning.

And then, of course, in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, a ceremony will be taking place as well. It's going to honor the 40 passengers and crew of United Flight 93 who fought back against the hijackers before the plane went down.

Also, this year, a seventh moment of silence has been added honoring the thousands who died from 9/11 related illnesses since the attacks.

Now, I'm going to be here with you in downtown Manhattan throughout the morning to bring you all of these moments. Also, CNN's Brynn Gingras is here as well at the 9/11 Memorial Plaza. Brian Todd is live at the Pentagon.

Brynn, we shared this day together, I mean, have many times, and it is another one of those beautiful days in Manhattan that feels very similar to that day now 25 years ago. Set the scene for us.

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, you know, Kate, you said a quarter of a century. I've heard that so many times. People say, wow, it's been a quarter of a century since this happened, just the hearing that, it feels almost unbelievable. And then you come here to the site, and it's very believable. Of course, the gravity of what happened here 25 years ago is so felt when you step here on this ground.

We've been seeing families come as we typically do before these ceremonies start, laying down those roses into the names that are inscribed into the fountains, I should say, here in, at the World Trade Center site. We're seeing people of all ages, young kids who, of course, weren't even born when this happened and are just sort of getting a history lesson into exactly what went down here 25 years ago.

It's hard to not get emotional here. You talked about this ceremony. This is going to be one that continues now into the history books because of that seventh bell ringing for the men and women who lost their lives, thousands of them, from 9/11-related illnesses, cancers, respiratory illnesses.

This is something families of those people, survivors, have fought for, to get sort of that recognition of this into the ceremony. And this is something that's going to happen today at 12:30, a seventh bell ringing, and that is something that's going to continue into the ceremony for all the years to come.

And, you know, certainly, we are waiting, standing by, as you mentioned, for former living presidents coming here. Vice President J.D. Vance, I can tell you, the security is the highest I have ever seen it. Once you enter the site this year, you cannot leave until the ceremony is over, or you can't get back in if you leave.

So certainly we are starting to see all of that sort of take place before the ceremony begins with that first bell ringing at 8:46 this morning. Kate?

BOLDUAN: At 8:46, we will be marking all of those moments of silence. We'll be bringing you the reading of the names. Bryn is right there on the site. It is so true, even high up above it where I'm sitting from this perch, you feel the gravity of this day.

It is -- I already find myself holding back emotions, Brynn, because it's going to be just another tough day 25 years later and still just what happened here and what it all means.

[07:05:00]

And also when you talk about the security, it's higher than highest you've ever seen and just how we pledge never to forget, but we are still living in very, very dangerous times.

Brynn's going to be with us throughout the morning. Brian, let me get to you. I said beautiful weather here in New York. It has been something very different you guys have been facing outside the Pentagon this morning in terms of the rain. What's the plan there today?

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kate, it's perhaps sadly appropriate that we have a driving rainstorm here today because it's such a sad and somber day for so many people, including the 24,000 people who work here at the Pentagon.

Just to preview what's going to happen here in a couple of hours, at 9:00 A.M. Eastern Time, the ceremony here will start, and it will start with a prayer and an invocation. Then they will start reading the names of the 184 people who died here at the Pentagon on September 11th, 2001. That will take about 30 minutes or so. They are going to end that just before 9:37 A.M. Eastern Time. That is the moment that American Airlines Flight 77 slammed into the west facade of the Pentagon, pretty much right at ground level there. Then there will be a moment of silence right at 9:37 A.M.

But the activities here, the remembrance here, excuse me got underway already. At about 6:47 A.M. at sunrise, they unfurled the flag on the west facade of the Pentagon. That was the flag that was unfurled on September 12th, 2001. There's an interesting story behind that because, you know, they've done that, of course, every year since 9/11. But on September 12th, 2001, Arlington County firefighters were still putting out some of the fires here at the Pentagon when they got word that President George W. Bush wanted to come and see the damage for himself.

So, Army Major General Jim Jackson, who was the commander of the Military District of Washington, that he wanted to get some kind of a flag, and he asked for the largest flag that they could send over from nearby Fort Myer. The Army band finally came up with a garrison flag, which is the largest flag that's even allowed for anyone in the military. They sent it over here, and then members of the 3rd Infantry and the Arlington County Fire Department actually unveiled the flag on that day, on September 12th, 2001, just to the right of where the plane had hit.

So, just an incredibly powerful symbol of the destruction that happened that day, of, you know, what America went through that day. We do have live pictures of the flag that was unfurled at about 6:47 A.M. Eastern Time this morning. They do that every year. And, Kate, that flag on -- when it was -- after it was unveiled on September 12th, 2001, that stayed there for about a month. It wasn't taken down until October 11th. It's now in an Army museum of history.

So, you know, today is just full of symbols and very somber remembrances. President Trump will be speaking here later, and it will be interesting to see what he had to say since he was prevented from speaking at the actual 9/11 memorial in New York. They did not want politicians to speak at that event.

So, the president and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth will be speaking here after the moment of silence at 9:37 A.M. Kate?

BOLDUAN: Brian, thank you so much. And Brian's retelling of the story behind the garrison flag. Brynn, it's just really quickly, it's reminding me of something you and I have discussed, and you were touching on as well, which is a lot of -- the stories must be retold. They need to be retold because there are so many -- what is it, 100 million Americans who are now, who were not born on 9/11, so many children who don't remember their loved ones. They were too young to know their fathers and their mothers who died at the Trade Center.

It's just, it is one of those things that it just reminds us of 25 years later, there are a lot of people who don't have that personal connection to this day, and that education and the retelling of these stories and the symbols becomes just even more important.

GINGRAS: Yes, absolutely. I mean, we often see that on this day, Kate. It does become a day for, of course, the families who lost loved ones people who you know, were maybe even just born when their parent or uncle or someone that they were related to died in these horrific terrorist attacks. So, a lot of times we do see, of course, those families, but we do see other people who are just coming down here to pay their respects and to use it as some sort of teaching lesson.

I mean, Kate, you probably had to deal with this with your daughters. I just did it with my son, trying to explain what this day means, and not only what we lost, but, of course, all of the heroism that we saw and how this whole entire country came together. Both lessons, of course, so important, and it's one that is, like you said, should be told often, but especially today.

BOLDUAN: Absolutely. Brynn Gingras, Brian Todd, thank you both, guys.

So, we're going to show you live pictures now of the 9/11 Memorial here in New York, and we're going to get, continue to bring you all of the moments throughout this morning, this day here on CNN.

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Our continuing special live coverage of the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks continues.

And as Brian just mentioned moments ago, the American garrison flag unfurling over the side of the Pentagon just at sunrise, really in a driving rainstorm, honoring the 184 people lost on this day.

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[07:15:00]

BOLDUAN: Welcome back as we mark 25 years since the September 11th attacks. Remembrance ceremonies are going to be getting underway very shortly here in New York. Just to note, I'm already seeing families behind us in Memorial Plaza. People already arriving, spending time at these beautiful and solemn site, laying white flowers. You can definitely see motorcades arriving for all of the officials and dignitaries who are going to be here. We're going to continue to watch this as it gets underway this morning.

Also, ceremonies will be getting underway in Pennsylvania for the passengers and crew of Flight 93. They, you will remember, stormed the cockpit, forcing hijackers to actually crash the plane in a windswept field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, instead of their intended target, Washington, U.S. Capitol. 33 passengers and crew died because of their heroism. CNN's Danny Freeman is in Shanksville this morning. Danny, I've had the pleasure of being on that site. It is -- it feels otherworldly, the winds that sweep through that field. Talk to me about what's in store today.

DANNY FREEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. I think that anyone who's been to this site, Kate, really feels a tremendous amount of emotions, this site where United Airlines Flight 93 crashed into a field behind me 25 years ago. Those emotions when you're here, of course, deep sadness, intense reflection, but primarily a great enormous gratitude to those heroic 40 passengers and crew members who, as you noted, ultimately staged a revolt and prevented one of the terror attacks on that day all those years ago.

Kate, I want to run down what we're going to expect to see today. The observance will start at 8:30 A.M. behind me just down in the field where that actual crash happened. There will be songs. There will be wreath-layings. There will, of course, be the reading of the names and of then of course the ringing of the bells of remembrance.

And, Kate, it's really all along the lines of continuing to tell this story, as you and other guests have been speaking about this morning. So, just as a reminder for folks, Flight 93 took off from Newark, New Jersey that morning on September 11th. It was heading to San Francisco when it was hijacked. And the passengers and crew on this particular plane, they got word that there was actually a terror attack likely happening.

So, they voted, Kate, whether or not to storm the cockpit, and whether or not to actually stop this terror attack, to try and prevent this attack. This ultimately resulted in the hijackers taking this plane down in this field behind me.

And, again, the theme of this particular remembrance, Kate, here, is the theme of not forgetting and passing on to the next generation. That includes the memory of passengers like Edward Porter Felt. I want you to take a listen to how his brother, Gordon, actually remembered his brother just a few days ago. Take a listen to what he said about the importance of the next generation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GORDON FELT, BROTHER OF FLIGHT 93 PASSENGER EDWARD P. FELT: We won't be here to tell the story eventually. We'll do it as long as we can, but at some point we've got to hand it off to the next generation. And we want to make sure that we've got the story, we've got the site, and we've got the setting in place so that the story of heroism, of resiliency of the collective actions and those individuals will be remembered in perpetuity.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FREEMAN: And they certainly will, Kate.

And then the last thing is that later on this afternoon, we're expecting to hear from Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, and then the secretary of the interior, Doug Burgum. Kate?

BOLDUAN: Much more to come from Shanksville. Danny, thank you for telling that story. I was going to ask you too, because the, the heroism of Flight 93 is one of those that should be told over and over again. Thank you so very much. We're going to continue to follow all of the key moments from Danny and in Shanksville this morning as well.

We're going to show you now live pictures of Lower Manhattan. More of our special live coverage of the 25th anniversary of the September 11th attacks will continue after a quick break.

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SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: From Ground Zero in New York to the Pentagon to Shanksville, Pennsylvania, we'll have much more on our special live coverage of the 25th anniversary in just a moment.

But, first, President Trump closing out the Republican midterm convention Thursday night by repeatedly pleading with attendees to vote, once again telling them to vote as if he is on the ballot.

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He went as far as leading them in a pledge with their right hand up to vote.

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DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: So, please raise your right hand. I pledge to the greatest president in the history of the United States.

That I will go out with my family, my friends, I'll do it anyway. I don't care if I'm registered or not, I'm going to try and cheat like hell like they do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: CNN Senior White House Correspondent Kristen Holmes joining me now. I mean, you know, he's got the crowd laughing and, you know, with calling himself the greatest president and, you know, saying, cheat like hell, but the truth of the matter is he keeps asking for this. Clearly, he is very worried about the midterms.

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Right, Sara, and President Trump calls this a pledge. What I hear is him pleading with the crowd there, and his message to Republicans was very clear over the last couple of days. Republicans have to show up and vote in November if the GOP is going to have a fighting chance.

And as you noted, he, one, made them do this pledge. He actually promised everybody $5,000 if Republicans won. There are still a number of questions as to how exactly that would work, and he also said this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) TRUMP: You know what happens if you don't vote? You go to hell. You know that, okay? You go to hell. And I don't want that to happen to you. So, please go and vote.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Now, it is true, Sara, that overall in the past what we have seen is that when President Trump is on the ballot, he is able to energize the base, he is able to drive out Republicans, and we're just not going to know whether or not this tactic that he had with this midterm convention worked until 53 days from now when we actually get the results of the midterm election.

I do want to quickly touch on J.D. Vance, because he was technically the keynote speaker last night. He was more disciplined, unsurprisingly, staying on message. He avoided the thing that is making President Trump the most unpopular, which is any conversation around the Iran war. And instead, he focused on Democrats, saying that they had a hatred for America, they were the party of hatred.

And I know that we still haven't gotten to the midterms, but I do think that it's impossible not to point out one thing that happened last night, or two things that happened as we look forward to 2028, which is, one, President Trump saying that he was a little bit tired of politics, seemingly admitting that up on stage there, and, two, the chance of 48 when Vance was speaking, of course, there, referring to the president after Donald Trump, who would be elected in 2028, giving him a boost there.

SIDNER: Well, we'll see what happens. Thank you so much, Kristen Holmes, for giving us an insight on what happened there at the first ever midterm convention held by Republicans. John?

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right. These are live pictures right now of the September 11th memorial in downtown Manhattan. Our special coverage of the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks continues.

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