On September 11, the 23rd anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks, President Joe Biden made an unusual gesture by wearing a iconic red Trump campaign hat during a memorial event. The White House and the Trump team quickly responded to the incident.
White House Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates stated on social media that “at the Shanksville fire department, the President spoke about the unity of the two parties in the aftermath of 9/11, emphasizing the need to return to that state.”
During his visit to Shanksville on Wednesday, Biden greeted firefighters as part of the day’s 9/11 memorial activities. On September 11, 2001, terrorists from the Taliban hijacked four commercial planes and carried out suicide attacks. One plane crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after some passengers and crew members attempted to regain control, ultimately preventing further casualties and damage, but resulting in the deaths of all 40 people on board.
Biden saluted the firefighters in Shanksville and paid his respects in front of a cross made from aircraft wreckage. In a video, President Biden was seen chatting friendly with a Trump supporter in attendance, and they exchanged hats.
The video of this incident quickly went viral online. After receiving the hat, Biden continued to interact and joke with the crowd. People encouraged him to put on the hat, “Put it on!” Initially hesitant, Biden said, “I don’t wanna wear it!” But he eventually relented and put the hat on his head, which garnered cheers from the audience.
The Trump Campaign team, upon seeing this humorous scene, quickly posted, “Thank you for the support, Joe!” and shared a photo of Biden wearing the iconic “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) hat associated with former Republican President Trump.
Earlier that Tuesday evening, Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris participated in a televised debate in Philadelphia broadcast by ABC News, as the Republican and Democratic presidential candidates, respectively. This marked their first face-off, happening just eight weeks before the U.S. Presidential election on November 5, 2024.
On the debate stage, Trump jokingly mentioned giving Harris a “Make America Great Again” hat.
The daughter of the man who exchanged hats with the President mentioned that Biden kept the red Trump campaign hat after the interaction.
Kelsey Simmers told BBC, “My dad doesn’t care who it is. He likes to joke around.”
She stated that her father, after contacting the Trump Campaign team, received a “Trump 2024” hat.
Before visiting Shanksville, Biden and Harris attended a memorial event at the New York World Trade Center, another site of the 9/11 attacks. Twenty-three years ago, terrorists crashed two planes into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York, causing them to collapse, as they were among the tallest buildings in the world at the time.
There, Biden and Harris met with Trump and his running mate, Senator JD Vance, who arrived half an hour early.
The White House described Biden wearing the “Trump hat” as a way to emphasize the theme of unity for the day.
“As a gesture, he gave a hat to a Trump supporter, who then suggested, based on the same spirit, that the President should wear the Trump hat,” Bates explained.
Following the event in Shanksville, Biden and Harris proceeded to Arlington, Virginia. It was there that the terrorists hijacked American Airlines Flight 77 and crashed into the Pentagon, resulting in nearly 3,000 deaths during the 9/11 attacks.