The White House’s recent statement on why President Biden did not attend a 9/11 attack site seems to have inconsistencies.
Peter Doocy of Fox News stated that in response to his inquiry regarding President Biden’s location in Hanoi, Vietnam, on the 9/11 anniversary, the White House drew a parallel by noting that U.S. presidents didn’t consistently visit Pearl Harbor 22 years post the incident.
Doocy mentioned, “I was told that two decades after Pearl Harbor, it wasn’t a custom for presidents to visit Hawaii in remembrance.”
However, historical records dispute this. In 2020, The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library shared that President Kennedy paid his respects at the USS Arizona in 1963, precisely 22 years after Pearl Harbor.
Their social media update read, “On today’s date in 1941, Pearl Harbor was attacked. In 1963, President Kennedy honored those fallen at the USS Arizona Memorial.”
In the years following 2001, many U.S. presidents have taken part in 9/11 memorial ceremonies in locations like New York, the Pentagon, or Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Notably, both former Presidents Bush and Obama once chose to observe the day from the White House rather than an attack site.
The recent 9/11 anniversary marked 22 years since the tragic events in New York City and the Pentagon, claiming 2,977 lives. While returning from Asia, Biden paid tribute to the day during a halt in Alaska.
Moreover, Biden made a claim, which lacked substantiation, stating he was present at Ground Zero the day following the attacks, observing the aftermath. Contradicting this, records indicate he was in Washington, D.C., on that day.
Biden’s remarks at an Alaskan military base recalled, “I was at Ground Zero the day after, witnessing what felt like the very gates of Hell.”
Nevertheless, C-SPAN’s coverage from September 12, 2001, shows Biden in D.C., addressing the Senate. The day’s Senate schedule, including a classified briefing at 2:00 p.m. ET, indicates his presence. He also took part in a resolution vote denouncing the attacks that afternoon, leading the charge as the resolution’s Democratic manager.
Additionally, The New York Post pointed out inconsistencies in Biden’s accounts when comparing his autobiography’s post-9/11 narrative. In his memoir, Biden mentions returning to the Capitol on September 12, without reference to a Ground Zero visit.
A Gannett News Wire piece from that date also aligns with this, stating, “On Wednesday, Delaware’s Sen. Joe Biden was exactly where he intended to be – within the U.S. Senate.”
