Donald Trump (00:51):
Well, thank you very much, it's a great honor. Frank has been something very special. He's very persistent, when he wants something, he gets it. And I figured I shouldn't wait, I should just approve it all immediately because it's much easier that way. But he's done some job, and I want to thank you all for being here in the heart of our nation's capital, which is right now one of the safest cities anywhere in the country. It was one of the most unsafe cities in the country just almost two years ago, we've cleaned it up in a lot of ways, including crime, but we've also cleaned it physically. It looks so beautiful now. We did 81 monuments, statues, and fountains. They're back in shape. Some of them haven't worked in 45 years. But the nation's capital, it marks 25 years since a day that was etched forever into the memories of Americans.
(01:50)
On 9/11, nearly 3000 precious souls were stolen from us, killed by evil terrorists at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and on Flight 93. All of these years later, we gather on another Tuesday morning in September to reaffirm the sacred vow we made a quarter of a century ago. We will never forget. We say it and we mean it. We will never forget those we lost, and we will never forget the immortal heroes of September 11th, 2001. And I will tell you, we're right now fighting because we have a certain nation that wanted a nuclear weapon, they were very close to getting it, and now they have no chance at getting it. They will never have a nuclear weapon. Iran will not have a nuclear weapon.
(02:53)
And they've been punished greatly. As you know, we've really taken it to them. I want to compliment our military, the job they do is unbelievable. The blockade has been so powerful, so effective. Nobody thought it could go so well, I want to just thank our military. I want to also thank the man who I just said hello, who introduced me as a special guy, he really is, who's done so much to help the families of 9/11, first responders, and our great veterans, and that's Frank Siller. He really is, he's a fantastic man, and he's a great friend. Now, we all know the story of his wonderful brother, Stephen, and we know it well, how brave he was going into the center, probably knowing that it was coming down. He didn't care. It was an amazing act of bravery. I also want to recognize Secretary of Commerce, Howard Lutnick, who lost his brother, and 658 employees. He was the head of Cantor Fitzgerald, one of the most successful firms on Wall Street, they were the top three floors of the World Trade Center.
(04:04)
It's an amazing story. Howard was always there at 6:00 in the morning, always, without fail because in that business you get there nice and early, the financial business. He was one of the biggest anywhere in the world at finance. Cantor Fitzgerald was one of the hottest firms, and for years he'd be there at six in the morning, but he had a child, and his wife would always be screaming at him, "You never have taken our child to school, someday you've got to take him..." This went on for years. After four years he said, "All right, I'll take him to school, I'm going to bring him to school myself." He wasn't so happy about it. He brought that beautiful boy, who is now a grown person, brought him to school, and he arrived at the school at 8:30, and he was on the West Side Highway at 8:45, and he watched that whole thing.
(04:59)
This was the first time in years that he wasn't there early in the morning. So, you could say he owes a lot to his son, and he owes a lot to his wife. But he brought his son to school, and because of that, he got to see it from the West Side Highway. He saw the planes go into the towers, and he said, "Oh my God, my people, my people." And he's done an amazing job. He's rebuilt Cantor Fitzgerald, and he's given much of the profit to some of the families, or the families of the people who perished. They all died, 658 employees. He started the firm all over again. So, Howard's here someplace, I think, Howard? Where are you Howard? You deserve to stand up, Howard.
(05:51)
He's got some faults, but overall he's excellent. He's a great guy. No, he went through a lot, didn't he? Had to build... Who could do that? And now the firm is bigger, stronger, better than it was even at the beginning. The job he did, he's secretary of commerce, he's been fantastic. Thanks as well to Attorney General Todd Blanche, who's doing a phenomenal job, wherever you may be. Hi Todd. Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Doug Collins, 92%... You have a 92% approval rating, Doug. Stand up, you two guys. I want to make sure that Todd gets a 95% approval, maybe 100, how about 100%? Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin, who has really taken over and done a job that's been great. Thank you very much, Markwayne. One of our real superstars, EPA administrator Lee Zeldin, he gets it approved, and he gets it approved fast.
(06:50)
They like you, Lee. Done great. An MVP, a OMB Director Russ Vought, who is watching the costs and he's watching them better than anybody knows. He knows more about that than anybody, along with representatives Mike Lawler, they call Mr. SALT, Mike Lawler. Stand up, Mike. Dan Meuser, and we have other congressmen and senators, I just want to thank you all for being here. Too many to mention, but thank you. These two guys have been very special. In the course of history, there are a few moments that divide time into really what came before when you look at what took place that day. Nobody will ever even think of such a thing being able to happen again, and we're going to do everything in our power to make sure it doesn't. That was a day like no other. September 11th was one of those moments in time where you always, everybody knows exactly where they were.
(07:51)
I know exactly where I was. I was watching and looking, and it was a beautiful, beautiful morning, and I looked out, and then all of a sudden I saw an alert on television, I looked out my window and I saw things that I never want to see again. We're never going to see them again. But in just over 100 minutes, 175,000 tons of steel and concrete were reduced to ruin, and 3,000 lives were extinguished, immediately extinguished. The world we knew and the nation that we loved had changed. I said it to myself, and I looked and I said, "Wow, the world has changed forever." So many things have changed because of that day, yet this battered piece of steel here today on the ellipse is a reminder that America is blessed with a strength no fire can consume, no evil can conquer, and no terror can destroy. For three months after September 11th, the flames raged in the rubble of Ground Zero.
(08:52)
For nine months, rescue and recovery crews work day and night on the site. I want to just thank my people, I took a lot of... I was building a big building in New York, and I took the whole crew down there right after this happened, and they had no hesitation, everybody went down with me. We went down as a big group of people. Wasn't too much we could do, I'll be honest. It was raw, nobody's seen anything like it ever. We had other buildings, the United States Steel Building was creaking, really creaking, and we thought it was going to fall down. The truth is it creaked a lot, it creaked. It still creaks. But it never came down. I'll never forget two firemen, we thought it was coming down on top of us, and two firemen, big strong guys... And I'm not the smallest guy in the world.
(09:44)
They grabbed me under the arm and said, "Got to get out of here." And they literally lifted me up. This is not easy to do, I'm big. They lifted me up, and they started running with me. I said, "Fellas, I can run myself." But they were amazing, but they thought it was coming down. It didn't come down, US Steel. The 16,000 pound beam lifted from the records of the South Tower will forever testify to the courage and resilience and spirit of a city and a nation that saw our homeland struck. Our towers knocked down, and stood back up stronger, more determined, and more united than ever before. And I'll tell you, I have to give New York a whole lot of praise because they started that... You call it demolition., The demolition had taken place. But you call it demolition, they had the best demolition contractors anywhere in the world.
(10:36)
I know all of them from being in the business. And I've never seen such an unbelievable mass of steel, and unfortunately bodies, and everything you can imagine. The job they did on cleaning up the site, they wanted to do it fast, they wanted to get it done. And I don't think there's any other place in the world that could have done the job that was done by the people or the construction workers, demolition experts, the police, the military... Nobody could have done the job that was done on getting it started. The first thing to get it started, they had to clean it up. It looked like it was a mile high. The rubble looked like it was a mile high. That's a piece of it. When we see this steel, we're reminded that no matter what threat or challenge comes our way, America will fight, America will endure, and America will prevail, and nothing can keep our country down and our country stronger today than it's ever been before.
(11:36)
We have the highest stock market that we've ever had. We have the most people working that we've ever had. We've never had employment like it is right now. We have the most people working today that we ever had. And when you looked at something like took place on September 11th, you say, "I wonder if we could ever get back to a level of greatness." Well, we've done it. For the past few months, Tunnels to Towers has taken this steel across the nation to remind Americans of what we overcame that day, and what our heroes did. And on September 11th, 23 members of the New York Police Department, 37 members of the Port Authority Police, three court officers and 343 members of the New York Fire Department made the ultimate sacrifice. And they knew what they were getting into, they saw it, they knew what was going to happen.
(12:26)
They were running up those stairs, and they knew what was going to happen. There wasn't one of them that thought otherwise. The bravery is really incredible. But their photos are all around us today, of these incredible people, men and women, but just incredible brave people. You never know about bravery until you really test it, you don't know. We're deeply honored to be joined this morning by more than 150 first responders from New York, along with dozens more from Washington, D.C., Arlington, and Pennsylvania who carry on the mission of their fallen comrades. I've been to all three, I speak to all three on every... We pick one or sometimes two, and we speak on that very special day. And we're also joined by more than 200 proud members of the United States military, who were there, and some were not there, and some are here just because they want to honor the people that were.
(13:24)
Would you all stand up, please? Everybody please stand up. That's great. Anybody that was there. Great, thank you very much. Thank you very much. But these are the men and women who lifted our country from the rubble. Every day they go to work knowing that they might not come home. Think of it, for 25 years since 9/11, and they've kept us safe and free, and we thank you, and we salute you. Our law enforcement is so incredible. Our law enforcement holds our country together in light of some threats. We have some very real threats right now, we have people that want to go a different way, they want to go a communistic way. Well, that's not going to work. Number one, we're not going to let it happen, but that's not going to work.
(14:14)
One New York firefighter at Ground Zero was Jeffrey Palazzo, a member of the elite Rescue Squad 5 from Staten Island, a place I love Staten Island, and a US Coast Guard reservist, before September 11th, he had already saved many lives. That day he had 10 other members of the rescue squad... That's what he did, he rescued people. And he was a legend before September 11th, but him and the other members of Rescue Squad 5 died at the World Trade Center while fighting to rescue fellow New Yorkers. And today, I'm proud to announce that this weekend in New York, the Coast Guard will commission a brand new, beautiful... I bought it myself, I've negotiated the price. It was very expensive. I didn't want to negotiate too hard in honor of him. But a brand new Coast Guard will, they're going to commission a beautiful, brand new Fast... It's called Fast Response Cutter, the most incredible kind of ship you'll ever see. It can go through anything. They go out into waves that are five times bigger than it, and they come back.
(15:26)
I don't know how they do it, but they come back. But this is the US Coast Guard cutter, Jeffrey Palazzo. So, we honor him with this very important tribute, to me, very important. Where is the family? The family? The Palazzo family is here. Thank you. Thank you very much. Incredible. Today we also remember another hero of 9/11. After the plane hit the South Tower, a group of people on the 78th floor were trapped with broken bones, charred skin and eyes, and lungs filled with black smoke, death was all about them, it was certain, they were sure they were going to die. Then suddenly a rescue appeared, they call him The Man in the Red Bandana. Have you heard that term? The Man in the Red Bandana has become more famous than me. I don't like it. Very unhappy, but he's become much more famous than me. No, he's The Man in the Red Bandana, he had found the only stairwell that barely survived. The stairwells were all knocked down, you couldn't get by, impassable. He found an opening in one of the stairwells, and the impact was so great.
(16:45)
There was no other way down, but this one little opening, this one little hole. And traveled down from the 104th floor to look for those trapped and dying. When he heard cries for help on the 78th floor, he began extinguishing the fires, blocking the exit, directing survivors who could walk, of which there weren't that many. He helped some out physically, they literally pulled them out, toward the only working stairwell, and carried those who couldn't walk. And he just did things that people said were not even imaginable because they knew they were dead. They said, "We're goners." One guy was screaming, "We're goners, we're goners." He didn't know that those he helped, nor who would have known, but he willingly made all of these trips up and down, up and down, up and down, over and over again, saving life after life. That rescuer was a 24-year-old equities trader and volunteer firefighter from Rockland County, named Welles Crowther.
(17:50)
And Welles' father, also a firefighter, great firefighter, had given him that bandana as a very special tribute when he was a boy. He probably knew something about his son. When asked why he always kept it, Welles replied, "With this red bandana, I'm going to change the world. I'm going to change the world with this bandana." Little did he know on September 11th, Welles saved many, many people before losing his own life in the South Tower lobby when the building came down. It was in the lobby, and that building came down, thousands of tons of steel. Today, in honor of his incredible bravery and all of the other countless unknown acts of heroism that day, it is my privilege to award the very special, the highest honor that we give, highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, we want to award that to Welles and Welles' family.
(18:53)
Welles is up there looking down at his mom, and his sister, his family. So, I would ask his mother, Allison, and sister, Paige... If Paige and Allison came up, we will present them with not only the medal, but we'll also present them with a very important designation. Very, very important. Please.
Allison Crowther (19:12):
[inaudible 00:20:22].
Donald Trump (19:12):
Oh, you bet, I'm sure you will.
Allison Crowther (20:33):
Thank you.
(20:33)
Thank you so very much, Mr. President, for this enormous honor that you've bestowed upon my son, Welles, in remembrance of his selfless actions on September 11th. This means the world to me, my daughters, Paige and Honor, and our entire family, this will be treasured for generations to come. Over the years, we have been blessed by the love and support of family and friends, many of whom are with us this morning. I would also like to thank Rachel Ducci, whose concept it was to prepare a proposal to bring to the president for this honor, and for Congressman Mike Lawler, who did so much to keep the energy going, and bring it to the attention of the president. Really, thank you. Walking into this site and seeing all the faces of the firefighters lost is really just so powerful and moving. And the work that the Siller Institute does through Tunnel to Towers is so important to keep knowledge going of what happened on September 11th.
(21:48)
So, we salute you, Frank, and your organization for this great work. Welles's light still shines brilliantly today, even after 25 years, is testament to his legacy of courage, compassion, and love for humanity that continues to inspire and uplift others. Welles, however, would not have been able to do what he did as effectively on 9/11 if it had not been for the training and experience he gained as a member of Empire Hook & Ladder Company No. 1 of Upper Nyack. Empire is a volunteer company and the members are fully trained firefighters. They have other jobs and responsibilities, businesses to run, and their own families. But when the alarm goes off at any time, day or night, they respond to the call to save life and property. This is a calling, and Welles, following in the footsteps of his father, Jefferson, joined Empire at the age of 16.
(22:49)
He was no longer an equities trader on 9/11, he was a firefighter. Members of Empire Hook and Ladder Company have joined us today, and I would like to recognize and thank them, if you would please stand where you are... There they are. Wonderful. Thank you, gentlemen. Such a support. My family has grown over the years, not only my own family, but the family and friends Welles grew up with, and Boston College friends, and the fire department, we're all like one big family, and it's such a beautiful thing. Welles continued his spiritual growth in service at Boston College, whose motto is, "Men and women for others." In the months that followed 9/11, we established the Welles Remy Crowther Charitable Trust, and continue with our work today, both charitable and educational.
(23:44)
Over 10 years working with a team of distinguished educators, led by Vernoy Paolini, the Red Bandana Project was created. Social and emotional learning lessons on leadership, caring for others, team, the power of one, bridging divides, forgiveness, and carpe diem were the subjects for elementary through high school students. This year, the Red Bandana Project has been updated and digitized by Dr. Kevin Holbrook, who is here today as well. Thank you, Dr. Holbrook. These lessons are available for downloading, free of charge, on our website, wellescrowthertrust.org. As I travel around the United States speaking at schools, I see firsthand how young people are impacted and inspired by Welles, his example and legacy to be better, kinder, and more caring of others. 25 years after September 11th, his life continues to remind us of something very simple, in moments when others need us, each of us has the power to choose courage, compassion, and service.
(24:55)
That's the real meaning of the red bandana, to be courageous, to find the good, to be the good. Again, thank you, Mr. President, we are profoundly grateful for your very special honor of Welles.
Donald Trump (25:09):
Thank you, darling.
Allison Crowther (25:29):
Thank you, thank you. Thank you so much. [inaudible 00:25:30].
Donald Trump (25:30):
Thank you. Be careful. Be careful. Thank you very much. So, a while ago, years, I promised mom and sister that Welles was going to get the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and we didn't forget. So, we didn't forget. We never forget. So, it's good, and really deserves it. Again, this has been an honor to be involved with Frank and the whole group that does such an incredible job of helping so many people, and it's very special. On the ellipse, very few things are allowed to be touched... I don't know if you know, this is very important soil. They don't allow things like this to happen except for very special events. To me, this is a very special event, Frank, and the job you've done is great, the job your people have done is amazing, and even the proficiency, they were saying how well everything was run and it has been, and you even worked out great weather.
(26:27)
I think Welles gave us the weather, right? Welles is looking down, he gave us the weather. So, I just want to end by saying God bless you, our country is bigger, better, stronger than ever before. We have a great country, we're going to keep it that way, and we appreciate it. It's my honor to be with you, and we'll see you again soon. Congratulations. Thank you very much, everybody. Thank you.