President Biden has drawn criticism from several families of 9/11 victims for breaking with a 22-year tradition by choosing not to spend the day of the anniversary at either an attack site or the White House.
This makes him the first U.S. President to do so.
Retired Air Force Lt. Col. Donald Arias, who lost his brother Adam in the attacks, expressed his lack of surprise at Biden's decision on "Fox & Friends First" on Monday. "It's no surprise to me that he's not coming to Ground Zero or any of the 9/11 sites," Arias said.
He added, "And quite frankly, I prefer he stay away anyway. We will be spared one of his stories of how he can relate, like he did with the people of Lahaina, how he can relate because of a kitchen fire. We can do without that."
President Biden, who is returning to Washington, D.C., from a trip to India and Vietnam, is scheduled to deliver a speech at a ceremony at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska. Meanwhile, Vice President Kamala Harris is among the elected officials attending events at the National September 11 Memorial in New York City.
Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stated that President Biden "plans to honor the lives lost and the families of loved ones who still feel the pain of the terrible day." She added, "This is something he feels is very important to do. We can only imagine the heartbreak and pain that the 9/11 families have felt every day for the past 22 years."
Terry Strada, who lost her husband Tom in the World Trade Center, criticized Biden's decision, describing it as "the opposite of what we've all pledged to never forget." She said, "He is now just saying that flippantly that he doesn't have to come to any of the sites and commemorate the loss with the families. That's terrible."
Strada is the chair of 9/11 Families United, a coalition of families and survivors of the terrorist attack. The group advocates for full transparency surrounding the events of that day and works to keep the memory of the victims alive.
Matt Bocchi, whose father John Bocchi was a victim of the 9/11 attacks, sees Biden's departure from tradition as a reflection of the "unfortunate reality" of the country's climate 22 years later.
He said, "If our leader is so willing to not show up to the memorial service, it's showing the message that Americans have forgotten and that it's OK to forget. Unfortunately for myself and for all the other families and those joining with us this morning, we have no way of forgetting."
The 9/11 attacks, orchestrated by al Qaeda terrorists under the leadership of Usama bin Laden, claimed the lives of 2,977 victims and significantly altered the national security and foreign policy landscape for decades.
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