President Donald Trump said Friday he was "99 percent" certain he could have spoken at the Sept. 11 ceremony in New York City if he chose to, pushing back against reports that his inability to speak at the event was the reason for his absence.
"It's just not true. I didn't demand to speak," Trump told Sid Rosenberg on 77 WABC Friday.
Trump spent the anniversary at the Pentagon, attending a remembrance alongside Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Both raised the Iran conflict during their remarks at the Pentagon memorial.
Vice President JD Vance joined past presidents and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani at Ground Zero. The ceremony adheres to a strict policy against partisan speeches.
Mayor Mamdani, a Muslim, has faced criticism for planning to attend. Some 9/11 families and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani cited past critical remarks from Mamdani's political allies.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) offered conditional support for the President's $5,000 dividend proposal Thursday. "It depends on how it's structured," Cruz told Fox News' Jesse Watters. He emphasized a preference for the payments to be structured as tax refunds directed only to people who work and pay taxes. "I think we should be incentivizing work. I don't think we should be paying people that are not working," Cruz said.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said the funds would not come from taxpayer money. "It's not tax money," Lutnick told NBC News in an interview at the National Sept. 11 Memorial Museum.
The House is scheduled to take up legislation next week imposing tougher sanctions on Russia. The measure cleared the Senate last month with overwhelming bipartisan support. The House Rules Committee will meet Monday to consider the legislation.
The Trump administration is also cautiously moving to loosen some airport security measures implemented after the attacks. Twenty-five years later, the policy shift marks a notable adjustment.
