Trump and Harris share awkward handshake at 9/11 Memorial
After meeting for the very first time face-to-face on the debate stage in Philadelphia, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump crossed paths again as they attended the 9/11 Memorial in New York City on Wednesday morning.
Trump and Harris were at least cordial at Ground Zero as they met for a second time in 24 hours and shook hands in an awkward encounter.
Harris stood alongside President Joe Biden while former NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg acted as a buffer separating the current administration from Trump and his running mate Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance.
The attendance by both 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 comes just hours after the two candidates walked off stage and honors those who lost their lives in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
After meeting for the very first time face-to-face on the debate stage in Philadelphia, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump crossed paths again as they attended the 9/11 Memorial in New York City on Wednesday morning
Vice President Kamala Harris (left) shakes hands with former President Donald Trump (right) as former Mayor of New York Michael Bloomberg (center) and President Joe Biden (second-left) look on
Harris is walking away from Tuesday evening’s debate with a new edge over Trump as many conclude she ‘won’ the first showdown with the former president
Three planes landed in New York in the early hours of Wednesday morning coming from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Air Force Two was seen sandwiched between Trump Force One and his running mate Sen. J.D. Vance‘s plane Trump Force Two.
Trump and running mate Vance arrived at the trade center site at around 8am and posed for photographs with some in 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.
Then the Democratic and Republican nominees stood only a few feet apart, with Biden and Bloomberg seemingly acting as a buffer between them.
The ceremony then began with the tolling of a bell and a moment of silence.
Regardless of the campaign calendar, organizers of anniversary ceremonies have long taken pains to try to keep the focus on victims. For years, politicians have been only observers at ground zero observances, with the microphone going instead to relatives who read victims’ names aloud.
Biden, on the last September 11 of his term and likely his half-century political career, was headed with Harris later to ceremonies in Pennsylvania and at the Pentagon, the three sites where commercial jets crashed after al-Qaida operatives took them over 23 years ago.
Trump also was due at the Flight 93 National Memorial near rural Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
Kamala Harris and Joe Biden attend a remembrance ceremony on the 23rd anniversary of the September 11 terror attack on the World Trade Center at Ground Zero, in New York City on September 11, 2024
Michael Bloomberg, Donald Trump and JD Vance attend the 9/11 memorial
The politicians paid their respects to the 2,977 people who lost their lives on Sept. 11, 2001
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) appears to extend his arm for a handshake while addressing President Joe Biden at the 9/11 memorial ceremony, as Vice President Kamala Harris looks on
Harris, looking rather emotional, appears to tear up while remembering the 9/11 victims
Biden, Harris and Trump all being present at the event is an usual occurrence, as the current president and former president are rarely in the same place at the same time.
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 demise of Biden’s reelection bid.
Harris and Trump, 78, faced off in a heated debate Tuesday night for the first – and possibly the last – time before the November election.
Harris is walking away from the debate with a new edge over Trump as many conclude she ‘won’ the first showdown with the former president.
She opened the faceoff with an awkward greeting, which her supporters allege was a power move, marching across the stage to Trump’s lectern to shake his hand.
‘Kamala Harris,’ she said, introducing herself as the pair met for the first time ever. ‘Let´s have a good debate.’
‘Nice to see you. Have fun,’ the former Republican president responded.
The exchange set the tone for the 90-minute debate, which saw Harris bait Trump with jabs at his economic policy, his refusal to concede his 2020 election loss and even his performance at his rallies.
Trump, while measured early on, grew more annoyed as the night went on, but hit back on the Democrats’ record over immigration and inflation, routinely touting the narrative that ‘Harris is Joe Biden’.
The conversation veered into uncharted territory including allegations of eating pets and executing babies, and saw Harris – who rarely discusses her personal firearms stance – admit that she is a ‘gun owner’ and won’t be confiscating weapons.
