Trump to Skip 9/11 Memorial Service in New York

President Donald Trump will not attend the 25th anniversary commemorations of the September 11 attacks at Ground Zero. Vice President JD Vance will represent the White House in New York, while the president will instead attend an event and deliver a speech at the Pentagon. Secret Service and staff had previously conducted site visits to the World Trade Center, but the schedule changed recently. The National September 11 Memorial and Museum has banned political speeches since 2012 to maintain the solemnity of the event and keep it separate from political dynamics. A report from the New York Times suggests that Trump's decision to skip the event stems from the memorial's refusal to let him speak. White House Communications Director Steven Cheung has called the claim that Trump is skipping the event because he cannot give a speech fake news. A center leaning source also noted that Trump is scheduled to travel to Ireland the following day for the Irish Open at his Doonbeg club, suggesting that departing from a military base in Maryland would cause fewer traffic and air disruptions than departing from New York or New Jersey. Other expected attendees in Manhattan include former presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama, as well as former mayor Rudolph Giuliani.