The White House rejected that characterization
The White House is pushing back against reports that President Donald Trump decided not to attend the official 9/11 memorial ceremony in New York City because organizers would not allow him to deliver a public speech.
The controversy comes as the nation prepares to mark the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, one of the darkest days in modern American history. Reports had suggested that Trump would not attend the ceremony at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in lower Manhattan after organizers reiterated longstanding rules restricting political figures from delivering speeches during the solemn observance. Those rules were established in 2012 following disputes surrounding the redevelopment of the World Trade Center site and are intended to keep the annual ceremony focused on victims, survivors and their families rather than political figures.