Trump honors 9/11 first responders — and plugs his political priorities

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President Donald Trump on Tuesday honored the heroes who bravely ran toward the danger during the September 11, 2001, terror attacks as the nation prepares to commemorate the day’s solemn 25th anniversary.

He also used the event near the White House in Washington, DC, to briefly plug some of his own priorities, including arguing for his war with Iran and comparing the danger officers faced during 9/11 to the threat of communism — one of his frequent digs at the Democratic Party ahead of the midterms.

A crowd of first responders from New York, Washington, DC, and Pennsylvania, along with service members, Gold Star families and the families of fallen first responders gathered on the Ellipse, where a 21-foot, 13,900-pound steel beam recovered from the World Trade Center’s South Tower was on display.

“When we see this steel, we’re reminded that no matter what threat or challenge comes our way, America will fight. America will endure, and America will prevail,” the president said.

Trump, a native New Yorker, recalled his own experience that day: “I saw things that I never want to see again.” He described a trip to Ground Zero in the days that followed as “raw.”

The steel beam, which has traveled from Lower Manhattan to key sites — including the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, and Emma E. Booker Elementary School in Sarasota, Florida, where then-President George W. Bush was reading with second grade students when he learned the second tower had been hit — is part of a broader educational effort to teach Americans about the service and sacrifice of the heroes of 9/11. And it’s a reminder — as more Americans grow up who were either too young to remember the fatal day or not born yet — to never forget.

At the entrance to the event, images of more than 400 first responders who lost their lives provided a reminder of the sacrifice. Trump repeatedly praised the first responders, but also drew a comparison between the tragedy and the administration’s war with Iran, now in its seventh month.

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“We’re right now fighting because we have a certain nation that wanted a nuclear weapon. They were very close to getting it, and now they have no chance of getting it. They will never have a nuclear weapon. Iran will not have a nuclear weapon,” he said.

Trump also posthumously honored Welles Crowther with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Known as the “man in the red bandana,” Crowther, an equity trader and volunteer firefighter, made three trips to the South Tower’s 78th floor lobby to help guide people to safety before the tower collapsed. Trump quipped during his speech that the fallen hero had “become more famous than me. I don’t like it.”

The president recognized some of the officials in the audience, including Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick — who at the time of the attack was the president of Cantor Fitzgerald, which had offices in the World Trade Center and lost 658 employees, including Lutnick’s brother.

Lutnick has come under scrutiny in recent days after the secretary falsely asserted in a CNBC interview that no Americans had died during the war with Iran. Trump preemptively sought to downplay the remark on Truth Social last week, and Lutnick later apologized for the comment.

“He’s got some faults, but overall, he’s excellent,” Trump said Tuesday.

The president’s speech also briefly veered political as he heralded the nation’s law enforcement, suggesting that they are responsible for protecting the country from threats — including communism, repeating a theme he’s used to attack Democrats on the campaign trail.

“Our law enforcement holds our country together in light of some threats. We have some very real threats right now. We have people that want to go a different way, they want to go a communistic way. Well, that’s not going to work,” he said.

Trump is not expected to travel to New York City on Friday for anniversary ceremonies at the World Trade Center, but will mark the moment at the Pentagon. Trump is not attending the World Trade Center ceremony in part because he wants to deliver remarks, people familiar with his plans said. Politicians have not been permitted to speak at the event in New York since 2012.

CNN’s Alayna Treene contributed to this report.

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周二，唐纳德·特朗普总统向在2001年9月11日恐怖袭击中勇敢冲向危险的英雄们致敬，此时美国正准备纪念这一庄严的事件25周年。

他还利用在华盛顿特区白宫附近举行的这次活动，简要地宣传了自己的一些优先事项，包括为他与伊朗的战争辩护，并将9/11事件中警官面临的危险与共产主义的威胁相提并论——这是他在中期选举前经常对民主党进行的抨击之一。

来自纽约、华盛顿特区和宾夕法尼亚州的急救人员，以及现役军人、阵亡将士家属和殉职急救人员的家属聚集在椭圆形草坪上，那里展出了一根从世界贸易中心南塔回收的 21 英尺长、13900 磅重的钢梁。

“当我们看到这些钢铁时，我们就会想起，无论面临怎样的威胁或挑战，美国都会战斗。美国会挺过去，美国会取得胜利，”总统说道。

身为纽约本地人的特朗普回忆起当天的经历时说：“我看到了我永远不想再看到的景象。”他形容随后几天前往世贸中心遗址的行程“令人难以承受”。

这根钢梁从曼哈顿下城运往多个重要地点，包括宾夕法尼亚州尚克斯维尔的93号航班国家纪念馆和佛罗里达州萨拉索塔的艾玛·E·布克小学。当时，时任总统乔治·W·布什正在这所小学与二年级学生一起阅读，得知第二座世贸中心大楼遭到袭击。这根钢梁是旨在向美国民众讲述9·11事件英雄事迹和牺牲精神的更广泛教育活动的一部分。它也提醒着更多美国民众——他们要么年纪太小不记得那场悲剧，要么当时尚未出生——永远不要忘记这场灾难。

活动入口处，400多名殉职急救人员的照片提醒着人们他们所作出的牺牲。特朗普多次赞扬了这些急救人员，但同时也把这场悲剧与本届政府与伊朗之间持续七个月的战争相提并论。

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“我们现在之所以打仗，是因为某个国家想要拥有核武器。他们曾经非常接近成功，但现在他们完全没有机会了。他们永远不会拥有核武器。伊朗永远不会拥有核武器，”他说。

特朗普还追授韦尔斯·克劳瑟总统自由勋章。克劳瑟是一位股票交易员和志愿消防员，人称“红头巾侠”，在世贸中心南塔倒塌前，他曾三次前往78层大厅，引导人们安全撤离。特朗普在演讲中打趣道，这位牺牲的英雄“比我还出名。我不喜欢这样。”

总统认出了在场的一些官员，包括商务部长霍华德·卢特尼克——袭击发生时，他是康托·菲茨杰拉德公司的总裁，该公司在世界贸易中心设有办公室，失去了 658 名员工，其中包括卢特尼克的兄弟。

近日，卢特尼克因在接受CNBC采访时错误地声称没有美国人在伊朗战争中丧生而受到密切关注。上周，特朗普在Truth Social网站上先发制人地试图淡化卢特尼克的言论，而卢特尼克随后也为自己的言论道歉。

“他有一些缺点，但总体来说，他很优秀，”特朗普周二表示。

总统的讲话也短暂地转向了政治，他赞扬了国家的执法部门，暗示他们有责任保护国家免受威胁——包括共产主义，这重复了他曾在竞选活动中用来攻击民主党人的主题。

“面对一些威胁，我们的执法部门维护着国家的团结。我们现在确实面临着一些非常现实的威胁。有些人想走另一条路，他们想走共产主义道路。但这行不通，”他说。

预计特朗普不会在周五前往纽约参加世贸中心周年纪念仪式，但他会在五角大楼纪念这一时刻。知情人士透露，特朗普不出席世贸中心纪念仪式的部分原因是，他希望发表讲话。自2012年以来，政界人士一直被禁止在纽约的纪念活动上发言。

CNN的Alayna Treene对本报道亦有贡献。