Trump Honors 9/11 First Responders With World Trade Center Steel at White House

A massive piece of Ground Zero is standing in Washington as America prepares to mark 25 years since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

President Trump is hosting New York City firefighters, other first responders and officials at the White House Tuesday, with a 21-foot, 16,900-pound steel beam recovered from the World Trade Center’s South Tower serving as the centerpiece of the tribute.

The artifact arrived in Washington as part of the Tunnel to Towers Foundation’s Steel Across America tour — a four-and-a-half-month journey that carried the beam more than 10,500 miles, through 21 states and more than 35 stops ahead of the 25th anniversary.

Trump and Tunnel to Towers Chairman and CEO Frank Siller are expected to speak. Siller’s brother, FDNY firefighter Stephen Siller, was killed responding to the attacks.

“President Trump will pay tribute to the American heroes we lost in the tragic September 11th attacks,” White House spokesperson Olivia Wales said, along with “the acts of heroism that defined that fateful day when the unbreakable spirit of the American people prevailed.”

The White House says Trump will stand with first responders to renew America’s vow that “we will never forget.”

Watch the replay below:

President Trump Participates in a Steel Across America Event https://t.co/4E9valqC8g

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) September 8, 2026