9/11's 25th Anniversary

The story so far

As of September 11, 2026

A quarter century on, the commemorations have shifted from a single day of mourning to a ritual that now accounts for the long tail of loss. New York City and the Pentagon marked the anniversary with the familiar reading of names and moments of silence, and added a seventh, now permanent, pause for the thousands who have died of 9/11-related illnesses. In New York Harbor, 2,977 drone lights rebuilt the Twin Towers in the sky. All four living former presidents stood at Ground Zero with the vice president, while President Donald Trump honored the 184 Pentagon dead at the military’s headquarters.

What has come into focus is how much remains unresolved. The accused planner of the attacks, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, is still at Guantanamo Bay; a military judge has set a 2028 trial date, but key confessions have been thrown out because of torture and prosecutors dropped an appeal to keep that date alive. Family members used the microphone at Ground Zero to press unfinished business, including renewed calls for accountability from Saudi Arabia. The ceremonies are solemn, and they are also a reminder that justice in the central criminal case has not yet arrived.

Risk, too, has been reframed. A national poll conducted in late August found 33% of Americans now see homegrown terrorism as the top threat to their safety, compared with 20% naming foreign attackers. Even so, the nation’s leaders used the Pentagon stage to connect the anniversary to the ongoing war with Iran, with the president and defense secretary tying today’s military campaigns to the promise to prevent another 9/11. The result is a split screen: the public’s fear has turned inward, while official speeches emphasize dangers abroad.

New York itself is the measure of time passed. Lower Manhattan has filled with residents, schools and parks as the World Trade Center complex nears full build-out. City politics around the date are still live: Mayor Zohran Mamdani signed two 9/11-related executive orders ahead of the anniversary, drawing criticism from Councilwoman Vickie Paladino, then kept the focus on families at the memorial, even briefly shaking hands with Rudy Giuliani. The day has become less about reliving 2001 and more about what the attacks set in motion in law, health, security and the city that still carries their imprint.