The United States on Thursday marked the 24th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks, commemorating the nearly 3,000 people killed in the deadliest terrorist assault on American soil, which reshaped the country’s politics, security, and sense of vulnerability.

Vice President JD Vance was expected to attend memorial events at Ground Zero in Manhattan, where the World Trade Center’s Twin Towers collapsed after being struck by two hijacked passenger jets. Another hijacked plane hit the Pentagon in Washington, while United Flight 93 crashed into a field in Pennsylvania after passengers fought back against the hijackers.

President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump joined families of victims and senior officials at a solemn ceremony at the Pentagon to honor the 184 people killed there, including service members and civilian staff.

Commemorations Amid Political Tensions

This year’s ceremonies come amid deep political divisions across the country and an unusually heated mayoral campaign in New York City.

The race has pitted Democratic socialist candidate Zohran Mamdani, a Muslim and naturalized U.S. citizen, against former governor Andrew Cuomo and incumbent mayor Eric Adams.

Trump has repeatedly attacked Mamdani, calling him a “communist lunatic,” while one Republican lawmaker has even called for the front-runner to be deported.

“It was this horrific day that was also for many New Yorkers the moment at which they were marked an ‘other,’” Mamdani told The Times, recalling the surge in Islamophobic incidents that followed 9/11.

Violence Casts a Shadow Over Commemorations

The commemorations also come as the U.S. grapples with a series of political killings and attacks. In recent months, conservative influencer Charlie Kirk was killed, following the targeted killing of a Democratic Minnesota lawmaker and her husband, and the firebombing of a Democratic governor’s residence.

At the Pentagon ceremony, Trump announced he would posthumously award the Presidential Medal of Freedom — the country’s highest civilian honor — to Kirk, describing him as “a fearless voice who inspired a generation.”

Honoring the Victims

New York City will observe a moment of silence at 8:46 a.m. (1246 GMT), the exact time that hijacked Flight 11 struck the North Tower. Churches, mosques, synagogues, and other places of worship across the city will toll their bells to mark the moment, while relatives of victims will read the names of the dead at Ground Zero.

The official death toll stands at 2,977, including the passengers and crew of the four hijacked planes, workers and visitors in the Twin Towers, firefighters, and Pentagon personnel. The toll excludes the 19 al-Qaeda hijackers.