When dignitaries and top officials gathered in New York City to commemorate the 9/11 attacks 23 years ago Wednesday, Vice President Kamala Harris had to have been somewhat uncomfortable.
Harris, alongside President Joe Biden, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, was standing just feet away from former President Donald Trump, whom she met on a debate stage the previous evening in Philadelphia, and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance, when some in the crowd began chanting “Donald! Donald!”
Shouts of the former president’s name continued as he walked over to Harris and shook her hand ahead of the ceremony. The New York Post reported that Biden also shook Trump’s hand.
Following the ceremony, Trump and Vance traveled to FDNY Engine Company 4, Ladder Company 15, to continue commemorating that fateful day on Sept. 11, 2001, when the fire station lost a captain, a lieutenant, and 12 firefighters who died trying to save lives.
Trump and Vance participated in a moment of silence inside the firehouse at 10:28 a.m., the exact time the North Tower of the Trade Center collapsed, resulting in the deaths of those inside and nearby.
Trump did not speak at the New York City commemoration. Following the event, he was en route to Shanksville, Pennsylvania, to attend the commemoration of Flight 93. This flight was part of the day’s terrorist plot but was brought down after passengers fought back against the hijackers. Reports at the time suggested that the terrorists were going to use the airliner to attack the White House.
During a ceremony to honor the late Asst. Fire Chief Gerard A. Barbara, who was among the firefighters who died on 9/11 , his widow, Joanne Barbara, fired a verbal potshot at Biden, according to The Post.
“The elected officials here today show their respect and reverence to the families on Sept. 11, or — in our president’s words — ’do 9/11,’ quite a flippant remark,” Joanne Barbara said. “Please remember that the 9/11 families live it every day,” Barbara said, speaking of the grief still felt by families of the 2,977 victims who died that day.
Trump suggested on Wednesday morning that he may not take part in a second debate with Harris.
During a phone interview on Fox & Friends, Trump blasted ABC News, accusing the first debate moderators, David Muir and Linsey Davis, of ganging up on him while giving Harris a pass all night on her arguments.
Host Steve Doocy asked Trump if he would accept Fox’s offer to host a second debate with Harris on Fox News in October.
“Mr. President, I know when we started the interview, you said that you felt that you won the debate last night. Your best,” Doocy said.” I think before the debate happened last night, the Kamala Harris people said that they would actually like to do another debate in October. And I know that last night Fox News offered — sent letters to your campaign and her campaign offering three dates of debates moderated by Martha and Bret. One is October 9th in Arizona.”
“Well, I wouldn’t want to have Martha and Bret,’ Trump replied. “I’d love to have somebody else other than Martha and Bret. I’d love to have, frankly, Sean or Jesse or Laura. You know, somebody else. Let’s give … other people a shot.”
Trump then suggested he may not do a second debate.
“But look, here’s a story. When two fighters fight and one loses, the first thing they do is ask for a debate or they ask for a fight. So in this case, a debate. So we had two people. They lost very badly. The first thing they did is ask for a debate, because that’s what when a fighter loses, he says, I want a rematch. I want a rematch. They always the losing person, the fighter, the debater, they always ask for a rematch. I won the debate according to C-SPAN, by a lot, according to every single I think we had 14 polls that we said to you everyone had been winning the debate,” Trump declared.
