Just hours after they finished flaming one another in their first presidential debate, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump shook hands Wednesday morning at an event commemorating the 23rd anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terror attacks in Manhattan.
The vice president and the Republican nominee—who met in person for the first time at the debate Tuesday—were joined at the event at Ground Zero by others including President Joe Biden and Trump’s running mate, Ohio Senator JD Vance. Images showed former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg standing between the Democratic and GOP luminaries.
Biden, Harris, and Trump were scheduled to attend another ceremony at the Flight 93 National Memorial in Pennsylvania later on Wednesday. The United Airlines flight was one of four flights that were hijacked during the terror attacks—that plane crashed as passengers fought against the hijackers.
ADVERTISEMENT
Two other planes were flown into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan and a third struck the Pentagon, where Harris and Biden are also due to take part in another commemoration event.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Harris’ running mate, is expected to participate in a memorial event in his own state. Bloomberg’s predecessor as New York mayor, Rudy Giuliani, was present at the Manhattan ceremony, standing alongside Vance and Trump.
“Today, our nation comes together to renew our sacred vow: Never Forget,” Biden said in a statement. “Never forget each of the 2,977 precious lives stolen from us when terrorists attacked our nation. Never forget their families who still bear the grief from that searing September morning. Never forget the heroic citizens and survivors who rushed to help their fellow Americans. And never forget that when faced with evil—and an enemy that sought to tear us apart—we endured.”
Harris, in her own statement, separately said she would “reflect on the incredible selflessness and courage of the American people” as she attended the memorials. “And as we commemorate this day, we should all reflect on what binds us together as one: the greatest privilege on Earth, the pride and privilege of being an American,” she added.
