Biden Abandons 9/11 Sites, Leaves Crowds at Mercy of Kamala Harris, Vets Blast Decision
CORRECTION, Oct. 12, 2023: Rep. Cory Mills, a Republican, represents a congressional district in Florida. An earlier version of this post named a different state.
It has been 22 years since passenger planes hijacked by Islamist terrorists slammed into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and a field in Pennsylvania, killing almost 3,000 Americans as well as citizens of other countries.
In the years since that dark day, every president has made a point of honoring the victims of the worst terrorist attack on our nation by attending memorial services at one of the sites where the attacks took place.
This year, however, President Joe Biden decided to do something different, and he is facing serious backlash for it.
Biden decided to mark the 22nd anniversary of the 9/11 attacks by spending it at a “memorial service” in Alaska, rather than in New York City. He was returning to the U.S. from a Group of 20 summit in India, then a visit to Vietnam.
In 2021, the president visited all three crash sites and in 2022, he made a speech at the Pentagon. This year, however, he has chosen to skip the crash sites altogether. First lady Jill Biden remained in Washington.
So if no one from the first family showed up, who was sent to New York City to commemorate the victims? None other than Vice President Kamala Harris.
Yes, Kamala Harris, the woman who is famous the world over for her word salads of speeches as well as giggling at the most inappropriate times, was sent to honor the victims of 9/11 at the National September 11 Memorial and Museum in Manhattan.
Meanwhile, Biden could not be bothered to attend the ceremony, or even hold a commemoration at the White House!
Veterans who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan, the wars launched in response to 9/11, felt insulted by the snub, saying that Biden did not appear to appreciate what they fought for.
“For the next nine years, I was overseas and can remember exactly where I was. The day would start with a prayer for all of those we lost on that day and every day since,” said Mark Geist, a Marine Corps veteran, according to the Washington Examiner.
“I expect the same reverence and compassion from the politicians of this country, especially our ‘leader.’ And when I see the lack of, my heart hurts for I see what we are losing.”
Victor Marx, another Marine veteran, echoed the sentiment, saying, “By not visiting the sites, President Biden will miss an opportunity to demonstrate his dedication to upholding the values and principles that define our nation, and it may leave some questioning his understanding of the significance of this solemn day in American history.”
Meanwhile, according to the Examiner, Republican Rep. Cory Mills of Florida compared Biden’s 9/11 snub to the callous way he treated the Gold Star families who lost loved ones during the chaotic Afghanistan pullout in 2021.
“I don’t think Joe Biden has the mental competency to do it himself, but it’s again, one more snub to the American people,” Mills said. “This comes right after being unable to meet on the anniversary of the Afghan withdrawal when his poor decisions led to the making of 13 new Gold Star families.”
It is hard to disagree with the sentiments of Marx, Geist, and Mills. It is beyond insulting that Biden did not show up to the commemoration ceremonies at the attack sites.
As president, he should use the anniversary of 9/11 to commemorate the victims and remind the American people that we will never surrender our freedoms or our way of life regardless of what our enemies try to do to us.
Instead, Biden chose to leave the highly unpopular Kamala Harris to go in his stead.
The only word that can possibly describe this is “shameful.”
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