Biden to visit memorial site where John McCain’s plane was shot down in Hanoi, then mark anniversary of 9/11 attacks in Alaska
- Biden to mark 22nd anniversary of Anchorage attacks during refueling stop
- He will speak to military, first responders and families
- On September 11, he begins a meeting in Asia with Vietnamese leaders
President Joe Biden will spend 9/11 meeting with Vietnamese officials, visiting a memorial to an old friend and marking the anniversary of the attacks on an air base in Alaska.
The White House released details of its public program for the 22nd anniversary of the attacks that followed Biden’s departure on Thursday for India, where Biden will attend the G20 summit with foreign leaders.
Details of her second stopover, in Vietnam, are just beginning to emerge. It’s part of the journey Biden first revealed at a fundraiser last month.
Biden and McCain were friends in the Senate and spent years serving together, even though Biden was on Barack Obama’s list that defeated the late Arizonan.
President Joe Biden, who left for India on Thursday, will visit a memorial dedicated to the late Senator John McCain and meet with Vietnamese leaders on 9/11 in Vietnam.
Biden will address service members, first responders and families on 9/11 in Alaska.
McCain was shot down over Hanoi in 1967 and then spent five and a half years in a Vietnamese POW camp.
The White House has previously faced questions about Biden’s agenda for the 9/11 attacks in the United States. He will not attend any of the memorial services at the three attack sites – this is the first time a US president has not done so. Biden himself has attended several 9/11 church services in the past.
Instead, he will “give a speech to service members, first responders and their families on the anniversary of 9/11” in Anchorage, where he is stopping to refuel, according to the White House.
McCain was shot in Hanoi in 1967
Biden’s trip takes him to a G20 summit, where officials are still negotiating a possible communiqué and infrastructure deal.
McCain spent five and a half years in a Vietnamese POW camp
Biden will meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi after hosting him for a state dinner this summer
Due to travel time and a full day of activities, this event is expected to take place a few hours after the first plane hits Manhattan’s South Tower.
Previously, Biden would meet with CEOs as well as Vietnamese Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính. He also meets President Võ Văn Thưởng of Vietnam, and attends a lunch.
This follows his meeting on Saturday with the country’s top leader, Communist Party of Vietnam General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng.
