Vice President JD Vance on Thursday signaled he is approaching the upcoming 9/11 memorial with a mix of solemnity and dry humor, quipping that he is “really looking forward” to crossing paths with former President Joe Biden at the Ground Zero ceremony in New York.
“As you can probably guess, I’m really looking forward to hanging out with Joe Biden,” Vance told reporters during a press briefing, adding with a laugh that he expects “many, many intense intellectual conversations” with Biden and other former presidents in attendance.
The event, marking the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, will gather Biden, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush, along with former first ladies Jill Biden and Laura Bush, and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, according to NewsNation and The New York Times.
The vice president’s remarks come as President Trump, who will instead attend a Pentagon memorial service, faces scrutiny over his decision to skip the New York event. The New York Times reported last week that Trump declined to attend partly because organizers rejected his request to speak; the ceremony has prohibited political speeches since 2012.
Trump dismissed the report as “more Corrupt News” in a Truth Social post, insisting that the event is a “solemn ceremony” where “no one ever speaks” and adding that he would “love not to speak, because I’m speaking all the time.”
Vance, who will represent the White House at the New York ceremony, said the division of duties between him and Trump was “decided as a team.” He described the opportunity as “such an amazing honor,” emphasizing the gravity of the day when “the parents and the kids read the names of the people who lost their lives.”
The 9/11 attacks killed 2,977 people at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and aboard United Airlines Flight 93, which crashed in Pennsylvania. The anniversary has become a touchstone for bipartisan unity, though recent years have seen increasing political friction around the commemorations.
Vance’s lighthearted tone about Biden reflects the broader partisan climate, as the two have traded barbs over policy and rhetoric. The vice president has been a frequent administration surrogate, recently stepping in for press briefings amid the ongoing vacancy in the press secretary role.
The decision to have Trump at the Pentagon and Vance in New York also echoes past divisions over how to honor the fallen. While some veterans of the 9/11 community have criticized politicization of the event, organizers maintain that the focus remains on remembrance.
As the anniversary approaches, Vance’s quip underscores the awkwardness of bipartisan gatherings in a polarized era, even as he frames the day as one of shared national reflection.
