US President Donald Trump has recalled watching the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks unfold from his apartment in Midtown Manhattan, saying he realised at the time that “the world has just changed” as he reflected on the tragedy ahead of its 25th anniversary.
In an interview with Trey Gowdy on Fox News’ Gowdy America, Trump described watching television coverage of the first attack before witnessing the second plane strike the World Trade Centre.
“I was watching a business show on television, like around 8.30 in the morning… and then all of a sudden… it was just immediately like, there’s a fire in the World Trade Centre,” Trump said.
He said that initial reports suggested a boiler explosion, but he quickly realised something far more serious had happened.
“So it wasn’t a boiler. But nobody saw the plane hit, very few people saw it hit. And I have an apartment where I’m viewing the World Trade Centre from Midtown,” he said.
Recalling the second aircraft approaching the World Trade Centre, Trump said he initially struggled to understand what he was seeing.
“I said, that’s crazy, it couldn’t be a plane. Maybe it was a missile, maybe it was something,” he recalled.
Trump said he then watched the second plane strike the building and realised that the attack marked a profound turning point.
“And I said, wow, we are now in a different time… So I saw it, and I said, the world has just changed,” he said.
Reflecting on the aftermath, Trump said he visited the area shortly after the attacks and praised the efforts to clear the debris and rebuild the World Trade Centre site.
He said he went to the area the following day, adding that he had construction workers involved in the recovery effort.
“It was just so terrible and so hopeless, it was so hopeless, such a terrible thing,” Trump said.
He praised New York’s resilience and the speed with which the World Trade Centre site was rebuilt.
“You know, people can say what they want about New York, but they rebuilt that project so fast, it was so incredible to see,” Trump said.
“I don’t think New York’s ever gotten enough credit for that,” he added.
Trump said the attacks had a lasting impact and reiterated that they marked a new phase in the world.
The United States will observe the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks on September 11, marking a quarter century since the coordinated terrorist assault that killed nearly 3,000 people and profoundly reshaped the country’s national security policy.
On September 11, 2001, 19 al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four commercial passenger aircraft in a coordinated attack on the United States. Two planes were flown into the World Trade Centre’s Twin Towers in New York, while a third struck the Pentagon, the headquarters of the US Department of Defense, in Arlington, Virginia.
The fourth aircraft crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after passengers and crew attempted to regain control of the plane.
The attacks killed 2,977 people, according to official US figures.
The destruction of the Twin Towers and the attack on the Pentagon triggered a national crisis and ushered in a new era of US counterterrorism operations, military engagements and heightened domestic security measures.
At Ground Zero in New York, an annual remembrance ceremony continues to honour the victims. The names of those killed are read aloud by family members and loved ones as part of the country’s 9/11 commemorations.
The attacks were orchestrated by al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and prompted Washington to launch a global campaign against the organisation and its affiliates, beginning with the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in October 2001.
As the US prepares to observe Patriot Day and the National Day of Service and Remembrance, communities across the country are expected to mark the anniversary through moments of silence, remembrance ceremonies, the display of flags at half-staff and volunteer activities.
(ANI)
