President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump paused for a moment of silence on the White House’s South Lawn this morning in remembrance of those who perished on September 11, 2001.
At 8:46 am, the time of the first plane attack, the president and first lady solemnly hung their heads as church bells tolled in the distance. The first couple raised their gaze a minute later and the president unclasped his hands, signaling a trumpeter to begin performing military taps.
Both Trumps brought their hands to their hearts in a sign of respect for the 2,977 victims of the coordinated terror attacks.
When the short ceremony was over, the first couple turned around and walked back inside the White House, hand in hand.
President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump paused for a moment of silence on the White House’s South Lawn this morning in remembrance of those who perished on September 11, 2001
At 8:46 am, the president and first lady hung their heads in silence as bells tolled near the White House
The first couple raised their gaze a minute later and the president unclasped his hands, signaling a trumpeter to begin performing military taps
When the short ceremony was over, the first couple turned around and walked back inside the White House, hand in hand
First Daughter Ivanka Trump, who is also a White House adviser, stood behind her her father on his right at the head of a group of White House staffers who had lined up on the lawn for the solemn occasion.
She was joined by husband Jared Kushner, also a White House adviser, and Gary Cohn, chief economic adviser to President Trump.
The president and first lady will now head to the Pentagon for a formal 9/11 remembrance ceremony.
President Trump is a native of New York. He was in Manhattan on the day that plane-hijacking terrorists brought down the iconic Twin Towers.
The US flag flies at half-mast at the White House before US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump observe a moment of silence on September 11, 2017, during the 16th anniversary of 9/11