According to a source, President Biden is facing criticism from certain relatives of 9/11 victims for becoming the first president in 22 years to have not spent 9/11 at the White House or even at an attack location.
Following his visit to India and Vietnam to address climate change, Biden is currently in Alaska, where he was criticized by families for spending 9/11 there, Fox & Friends First reported this week.
Biden did manage to visit a memorial in memory of the late Senator John McCain (R-AZ) in Vietnam during the past few days. He kissed the memorial and told reporters who were traveling along with him that he thought it was important for him to visit the site because McCain was a “good friend.”
“It doesn’t surprise me to hear that he’s not going to Ground Zero or virtually any of the additional 9/11 sites,” said former Air Force Lt. Col. Donald Arias, whose brother Adam was killed in the attacks.
He also said, “To be honest, I’d rather he stay away anyway. We won’t have to hear one of his stories about how he experienced something similar because of a kitchen fire, such as he did with the residents of Lahaina. We don’t need that.”
Arias was talking about how Biden went to see people who lost their homes in the Lahaina fire and said he was able to identify because he “almost” did too. A story says that there was a small fire in his kitchen that was put out in 20 minutes. This is in contrast to the fire that killed over 100 people in one day.
The widow of Tom Strada, Terry Strada, claimed that Biden’s choice to skip spending 9/11 at the White House or an assault site is “the opposite of what we have all vowed to never forget.”
“Now he is simply saying offhand that he does not have to go to any of the locations and mourn with the families. That’s awful,” she said.
Matt Bocchi, whose father, John Bocchi, died on 9/11, said that Biden’s choice showed that “Americans have forgotten” a “sad reality.”
“Our leader’s willingness to skip the memorial service sends the message that Americans have moved on and that forgetting is acceptable,” the speaker stated. “Unfortunately for me, my family, and everyone else who is here with us this morning, we can’t forget.”
“Even if the rest of the nation chooses to let today be a day they do not remember, this is something that has permanently altered our lives and something we will always live with,” according to Bocchi.
At a news meeting three days ago, White House news Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stutteringly said:
“Look, on September 11, the President will commemorate the anniversary of the terrorist attacks in Alaska this year. He will do so as you just indicated, along with — with service members as well as their families.”
