[Correspondent Diary] 19th Anniversary of 9/11 Terror Attack... Memorial Visit Also Election Campaign

Trump and Biden Visit Battleground States in Succession for Memorial
Trump: "Will Pursue Terrorists to the End"
Biden: "No Election Remarks Today"
Biden and Pence Exchange Elbow Bump at New York City Memorial Ceremony

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden (left) and Vice President Mike Pence are giving an elbow greeting at the 9/11 memorial ceremony held in New York City on the 11th.
[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] Ahead of the U.S. presidential election this November, the competing candidates visited the 19th anniversary memorial site of the 9/11 attacks.

On a day marked by two of the most severe attacks on the U.S. mainland since World War II, President Donald Trump and Democratic candidate Joe Biden displayed contrasting demeanors reflecting their differing personalities.

According to U.S. media on the 11th (local time), President Trump attended the memorial ceremony held in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, in the morning. This site is where United Airlines Flight 93, hijacked by terrorists during the 9/11 attacks, crashed, and a memorial stands for the victims.

In his memorial speech, President Trump cautiously linked 9/11 with the election, though he was not aggressive in his remarks.

President Trump referred to the 33 passengers and 7 crew members who resisted the terrorists and prevented greater damage as heroes, emphasizing, "In any crisis, America will rise again."

He said, "When terrorists tried to destroy our democracy, the 40 victims acted like most Americans. They stood against pure evil and saved our capital." At that time, United Flight 93 was headed for Washington, D.C., the U.S. capital, under the terrorists' control.

President Trump also stressed, "America will continue to pursue terrorists who threaten our people," citing the killing of Iranian Revolutionary Guard leader Qasem Soleimani and Sunni extremist group Islamic State (IS) leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi during his administration. However, he did not mention the assassination of Osama bin Laden, who planned the 9/11 attacks. This appears to be a conscious act, considering bin Laden was killed during the Obama administration when Biden was vice president.

Originally, Biden, who was expected to meet Trump during the Shanksville memorial visit, seemed to avoid the spotlight and headed to the New York City event. He attended the memorial ceremony at Ground Zero, the 9/11 site in New York City, alongside Vice President Mike Pence. The event was also attended by Democratic politicians including former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, and New York Mayor Bill de Blasio.

President Donald Trump and the First Lady are walking while looking at the 9/11 Terror Victims Memorial in Shanksville on the 11th.
[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

Initially, only Vice President Pence was scheduled to attend the New York City memorial event, but Biden's camp announced his attendance a day earlier, marking the first face-to-face encounter between the candidates from both camps since the start of the election race. Biden and Pence exchanged elbow bumps at the event. Their spouses, Dr. Jill Biden and Karen Pence, also greeted each other with elbow bumps. Biden attended the New York City memorial in the morning and visited Shanksville in the afternoon.

Biden refrained from making any election or political remarks at the memorial ceremony. In fact, he decided not to run any election advertisements that day to maintain the solemn atmosphere.

Before heading to the event, he told reporters, "I will not make any statements other than those related to 9/11 today. Today is a solemn day. I will resume campaigning starting tomorrow."

At the New York City memorial, Biden comforted an elderly woman in a wheelchair who was looking at a photo of her son who passed away, while the victims' names were being read aloud.

Earlier, an organization called "911 Day" requested both camps to suspend election advertisements on September 11. The group emphasized that it has been customary to halt campaigning on the 9/11 memorial day.

On the same day, the Trump campaign ran election ads through Fox News, showing a contrast. The Trump camp explained, "People are voting today as well, and our ads are patriotic."

However, both candidates attending the Shanksville memorial can be seen as linking the election with the 9/11 memorial. Pennsylvania, where Shanksville is located, is a key battleground state that could decide the election outcome. This is the first time since the start of the election race that President Trump and Biden visited the same area on the same day.