After meeting face-to-face for the first time on the debate stage in Philadelphia, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump crossed paths again when they attended the 9/11 Memorial in New York City on Wednesday morning.
Trump and Harris were at least cordial at Ground Zero when they met for the second time in 24 hours and shook hands in an awkward encounter.
Harris stood alongside President Joe Biden while former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg acted as a buffer between the current Trump administration and his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance.
The attendance by Trump, Biden and Harris is rare and marks one of the few times the former president and current president have been in the same space.
The memorial service comes just hours after the two candidates left the stage and pays tribute to those who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
After meeting face-to-face for the first time on the debate stage in Philadelphia, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump crossed paths again when they attended the 9/11 Memorial in New York City on Wednesday morning.
The tribute comes just hours after the two candidates left the stage and pays tribute to those who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
Harris walks away from Tuesday night’s debate with a new lead over Trump as many conclude she “won” the first face-off with the former president.
Three planes landed in New York in the early hours of Wednesday morning from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Air Force Two was seen between Trump Force One and his running mate Senator JD Vance’s plane, Trump Force Two.
Trump and his running mate Vance arrived at the World Trade Center site around 8 a.m. and posed for photographs with some members of the audience.
Harris arrived with Biden about a half-hour later, to cheers of “Kamala!” from some audience members.
Biden and Trump shook hands, and Bloomberg appeared to facilitate a handshake between Harris and Trump.
The Democratic and Republican candidates then stood just a few feet apart, with Biden and Bloomberg seemingly acting as a buffer between them.
The ceremony began with the ringing of a bell and a moment of silence.
Regardless of the campaign schedule, organizers of anniversary ceremonies have long strived to keep the focus on the victims. For years, politicians have been mere observers at ground zero commemorations, with the microphone held by relatives, who read the names of the victims aloud.
Biden, the last 9/11 of his term and likely of his half-century of political career, was later headed with Harris to ceremonies in Pennsylvania and the Pentagon, the three sites where commercial airliners crashed after al-Qaeda operatives took them over 23 years ago.
Trump was also scheduled to visit the Flight 93 National Memorial near rural Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
It is rare that Biden, Harris and Trump are present at the event.
Trump did not attend Biden’s inauguration in January 2021. The last time they were in the same room was during their debate in June, which ultimately led to the failure of Biden’s reelection bid.
Harris walks away from Tuesday night’s debate with a new lead over Trump as many conclude she “won” the first face-off with the former president.