How the September 11 attacks have shaped every U.S. president's foreign policy
The 9/11 attacks continue to influence the decisions and legacies of every U.S. president from George W. Bush to Joe Biden.
Twenty-five years after the September 11 attacks, each U.S. president has been forced to address the security challenges the attacks created. George W. Bush responded with the invasion of Afghanistan, the designation of an “Axis of Evil,” and the labeling of Iran as a state sponsor of terrorism. Barack Obama inherited the hunt for Osama bin Laden, announced the successful raid that killed him, and later dealt with the emergence of ISIS following the 2011 withdrawal from Iraq.
Donald Trump repeatedly cited Iran’s alleged support for terrorism to frame his foreign-policy moves. Joe Biden, a longtime foreign-policy senator, struggled to separate his political standing from the disorderly pullout from Afghanistan, which ended the United States’ longest war. Throughout, the legacy of 9/11 has remained a central reference point for U.S. actions abroad.
Why it matters
Understanding how 9/11 continues to shape U.S. presidents helps explain current foreign-policy choices.
How this story developed
- Aug 28 Forgotten Lessons of 9/11 Fuel Growing Islamist Influence in U.S. Politics
- Sep 2 A 21-foot, 16,900-pound steel beam from the World Trade Center's South Tower was delivered to the U.S. Military Academy, marking a stop on the Tunnel to Towers Foundation's Steel Across America tour.
- Sep 6 A new analysis highlights the generational shift in how Americans born after 2001 perceive and commemorate 9/11.
- Sep 7 Donald Trump claimed he went to the World Trade Center site with construction crews the day after 9/11, a statement disputed by first-responders.
- Sep 8 Trump added the Medal of Freedom award for Welles Crowther and the cutter‑naming announcement to the memorial event.
- Sep 8 The beam has moved from West Point to Boston as part of the ongoing tour.
- Sep 10 Construction of the 2 WTC tower, designed by Foster+Partners, began near the memorial, while Mayor Zohran Mamdani presided over the commemorative ceremony.
- Sep 10 The city is preparing its traditional memorial service at the former World Trade Center site, which normally includes six silent pauses for key moments of the attacks. This year a seventh pause will be added to honor the thousands who succumbed to illnesses linked to the disaster long after the event. Officials note that many first-responders and survivors continue to suffer health problems, and a long-term health program was created in 2011 to provide ongoing care. Retired police lieutenant Thomas Wilson, who worked at Ground Zero, is among those whose cancers have been attributed to the attacks.
- Sep 11 Groundbreaking for 2 World Trade Center took place during the annual memorial ceremony.
- Sep 11 The ceremony will feature a seventh silent moment for the first time.
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